The mystery of the sacred mountains of China

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

The Chinese have a saying: "If you have visited the five sacred mountains of China, then you can not go to other mountains." We are talking about Mount Huashan - the center of Taoist religious practices and a place for practicing alchemy. It is said that Lao Tzu himself lived here. Not so long ago, a complex of mysterious caves was discovered in the depths of the Blooming Mountain.

The Blooming Huashan Mountain is called because the peaks of this complex of five mountains form a lotus flower. The mountains stand at a distance of about 1-2 miles from each other and are oriented to the cardinal points: center, south, north, east, west. Mount Huashan is the western sacred mountain. It should be noted that this is an unusually picturesque area, but the ascent to the peaks of the complex is very dangerous.

The paths leading to the peaks are very narrow, winding, 12 km long. Entangling the rocks with their serpentine, they finally converge at the highest point of the complex at an altitude of 2,100 m. Basically, only pilgrims decide to make this path.

In some places, they have to overcome the path along narrow bridges attached by chains to sheer cliffs, which requires considerable physical strength and endurance from people, and most importantly, enviable determination. After all, most of the wooden bridges were built many centuries ago.

The trail leading to the summit passes by Taoist monasteries, some of which date back to the 11th century, such as the Yuquan Temple and the palaces of the Yuan Dynasty. But the main part of the buildings of a later period, related to the rule of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The Huashan complex was included in the List of Natural Heritage Sites by UNESCO.

The unusual and inaccessible Huashan Mountain has become even more famous today thanks to the grandiose man-made caves found in it at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries. Everyone who is lucky enough to see them unanimously considers the caves to be one of the wonders of the world. This unique dungeon in the cliffs of the southern part of Anhui province (China) east of Tunxi city was accidentally discovered in 1999.

They were discovered by a local peasant, who was so amazed by what he saw that he considered it necessary to report his find to the authorities. And he was not mistaken: the caves caused a real sensation in the scientific world. Scientists, researchers, journalists and tourists flocked to the Huashan area.

The caves are located at 30 degrees north latitude, that is, on the same parallel with the pyramids of Giza, the sacred Mount Kailash in Tibet and the Bermuda Triangle, and, as it were, close this mysterious chain. It is unlikely that such an arrangement can be considered an accident.

To date, scientists know about 36 caves, and no one really knows how many of them. The answer to the question of whether there is a message between them or whether each of them is an independent structure remains a mystery.

When they conducted a preliminary survey of the caves, the researchers were struck by the scale of what they saw. The underground complex of Mount Huashan exceeded in size all known similar structures. All 36 caves have been assigned serial numbers, and many of them do not yet have a name.

For example, the total area of the 2nd and 35th caves exceeded 17 thousand square meters. m. With an approximate calculation, during their clearing, 20 thousand cubic meters were taken out. m of rubble and soil, and 18 tons of water were pumped out. Three powerful pumps worked there for 12 days. The premises are now open to the public.

Cave number 35 is also called the underground palace. Apparently, such an honorary name was given to her because of its truly royal size. It is located at a depth of 170 m, and its total area is 12,600 sq. m. The entrance to it is small. To get into this splendor, you need to pass a 20-meter tunnel.

In the middle of the underground palace, there are 26 huge stone columns supporting the vaults of the cave. These gigantic pillars are over ten meters in diameter. As you move into the cave, it seems that they seem to diverge, forming a triangle.

The palace is striking not only for this: one of its walls, which is 15 m wide and 30 m long, is located at an angle of 45 degrees. Scientists with the help of infrared rays managed to establish that this wall was created by nature and is a natural formation.

Here you can also see underground lakes and pools with clear clear water through which the bottom can be seen. Separate halls, stone stairs, bridges over underground rivers … It is curious that all these bodies of water are seven feet below the level of the Xinyan River, which flows in the valley of Mount Huashan. A strange two-story building with a balcony, from where the whole panorama of the cave opens up to the visitors, is surprising to scientists.

Another cave called Huangxi also has a huge area - 4,800 sq. m with a length of 140 m. Inside it there are several rooms: a spacious hall with columns, swimming pools and several small rooms on both sides of the tunnel.

It should be noted that all underground rooms are multi-tiered and have an irregular, bizarre shape. However, it seems that the one who created all this, thought out the details to the smallest detail. More recently, 18 bas-reliefs have been discovered in caves 2 and 36.

Can't all these stone bridges, stairs, balconies, columns be evidence that the caves are of artificial origin?

The fact that the caves were built by people is no longer in doubt. Take, for example, the chisel-like tool marks that are visible on the surfaces of ceilings and walls. But what kind of tool it was that created such grooves, and how the stone was hollowed out: in pieces or removed completely, and also whether the ancient builders used scaffolding, is still unclear.

Perhaps people simply made the most of what was already created by nature. If we assume that the rock was still hollowed out, then they would have to take out of these places at least 100 thousand cubic meters. m of stone! With this amount of rock, a road length of 240 km can be completely laid out. Actually, the Chinese can do a lot.

It remains a mystery where these dumps have gone, because no traces of the excavated rock have been found. Have you built houses? No, all the houses in the area are built of blue stone, and Huashan is made of variegated rock.

The next question that puzzled scientists: what technologies did the builders use if the angle of inclination of the internal walls exactly repeats the external angle of inclination of the mountain and its bends? If they hadn’t done this, they probably would have punched a hole outward. How did people manage to achieve such an unusual interior? Again, they could not work in complete darkness, which means they somehow illuminated the premises, but no traces of fire or soot were found …

It seems absolutely surprising that the caves are completely devoid of echoes, the vaults and walls are designed in such a way that they absorb sounds, providing complete silence. For what? Perhaps the echo could interfere with the prayer.

It is surprising that such a large-scale structure is not described anywhere else. Only in the manuscript of the Chinese historian of the Han dynasty (135-87 BC) there is a mention of Mount Huashan, but not of the caves. He wrote that Chinese rulers came to the mountain to pray there to the gods and their ancestors. Perhaps it was in the caves that these prayers sounded, because it is unlikely that the emperors made the difficult path to the top.

The purpose of the construction of the caves remains a mystery to this day. There is no doubt that they were not built for housing. Then what for? Still for meditation and worship? However, there are no wall paintings or any deities in them, so it is doubtful that they served a cult purpose. If these are still ancient temples, then what ceremonies were carried out in them, and most importantly, by whom?

Maybe the reason is much more prosaic and they just mined the stone there? But why make it difficult for yourself? The stone can be mined on the surface of the mountain, and not inside it. They are also not suitable for storage of grain due to high humidity.

Or was it some kind of secret object? The location of the troops, for example. A great many versions can be invented, but none of them has yet been confirmed by the evidence base.

The exploration of the caves continues. Scientists are trying to find passages and tunnels that could connect separate rooms. In the process of research, new finds appear. So, were discovered ceramic products, according to experts, created in the years 265-420. in the era of the Jin dynasty.

Based on the analysis of stalactites and cave walls, their approximate age was determined - 1,700 years. But it is possible that the caves are much older than scientists assume. A lot of questions have accumulated, the researchers will have enough work for many more years.