【Central Cross-Island Highway and Taroko National Park (Six)】
【Acala under the Ning’an Bridge in the Central Cross-Island Highway】
【Acala at the Silver Belt Bridge in the Central Cross-Island Highway during the Japanese Occupation】
I remember when I was in junior high school and taking outdoor classes,
I remember seeing the comics “The Peacock King” and “The Legend of the Acalanatha” on the tour bus. I was deeply impressed. That was my first impression of the Peacock King and the Acalanatha.
I still remember the question in my mind at that time: why are the Maurya Vidyaraja and Acalanatha so rare in Taiwan?
Later I gradually realized that this belongs to the Eastern Esoteric Buddhism.
During college, because of my love for nature,
I often rode my motorcycle to the Central Cross-Island Highway during the winter and summer vacations,
which has become a beautiful memory in my mind.
At that time, I knew that there was a temple of Acala under Jing’an Bridge as soon as the Zhonghengtai Line 8 passed by it, where Acala was enshrined. He held a sword in his right hand and a rope in his left hand, with a furious look on his face, and he looked very solemn in suppressing evil and conquering demons.
At that time, I would park my motorcycle, and even if my destination was Hehuan Mountain or Guanyun Villa, I would stop by to pray for safe travel;
I remember praying at the Zhongheng Acala Temple once, and I prayed for good luck in the entrance examination!
I was so happy that my wish came true after I finished the exam.
Since I happened to be staying near Taroko National Park during those few days,
I asked my senior friend and the tour guide from Taroko National Park, Brother Cai, to drive me to the Acalanatha Buddha under the Ning’an Bridge to fulfill my wish after I finished the exam.
I still remember that day when it was getting dark and I went to the Central Cross-Island Highway to worship Acala:
The quiet and peaceful Central Cross-Island Highway is imprinted in my mind. There were no travelers on the Central Cross-Island Highway, and the mountains were quiet; the Liwu River Canyon was so beautiful with the auspicious clouds!
I previously shared about Ji’an Qingxiu Temple, where there is Acalanatha.
The previous sharing details are as follows:
https://www.facebook.com/106670230727411/posts/696661335061628/
When you come to Taroko National Park, have you ever stopped for a while when passing by the Ning’an Bridge?
It is not easy to notice this small temple from the Central Cross-Island Highway. The reason for sharing it is explained in the following paragraph. If the car is in a hurry, it is not easy to be found!
The Acala Shrine is located below the Ning’an Bridge at about 183.8K on Taiwan Highway 8,
on the south bank of the lower reaches of the Liwu River.
When heading towards Tianxiang, you can reach it on the mountain wall on the left after crossing the Jing’an Bridge!
And the parking area on the mountain wall of the road is very small,
so you must pay special attention to safety, this is very important!
The “Acala Temple” is located at the 182.6 km mark of the Central Cross-Island Highway, next to the “Tianwang Bridge”, a small bridge below the Ning’an Bridge. There are many different opinions about its origin, but it existed during the Japanese colonial era.
However, due to a rockfall nearby in 2014, the Acala Shrine was damaged.
Later I heard that the statue had been moved to Kangle Village, Xincheng Township, Hualien.
The old red bridge that we see today was built in the early days of the Central Cross-Island Highway.
It is 82 meters long and was the longest single-arch bridge in Taiwan at that time.
Later, the traffic volume on the Central Cross-Island Highway increased,
and the old bridge could no longer accommodate traffic in both directions and was no longer sufficient!
In 1989, the government built a new cantilevered concrete bridge next to the old bridge. The old bridge was not demolished, so the old and new bridges coexist!
For the historical origins and changes, please refer to the following website:
https://m.facebook.com/groups/1382428951869364/permalink/2935553243223586/
Very clear!
The introduction to “Acalanatha Temple” was written by a retired Taipower employee, and the monument was erected in December 2004.
The inscription records that during the Japanese colonial period, when the area between Taroko and Tianxiang, also known as the “Gold-producing Road,” was opened up, it was discovered that there were natural springs and abundant spiritual energy in the area. In order to pray for safe access to the project, the Japanese enshrined Acala here for worship.
It is also said that when the early ancestors built the Central Cross-Island Bridge in this area, it was also damaged by earthquakes or typhoons. Later, the masters instructed them to ask Japan’s Acala to take charge, and everything went smoothly afterwards!
In 1943, a super typhoon destroyed the temple.
With the help of Taipower Liwuxi Engineering Office employees and construction companies,
the statue of Acala was re-enthroned.
The Acala Temple is located next to the Tianwang Bridge. Decades after the Central Cross-Island Highway was opened to traffic, the traffic volume increased and the old bridge became insufficient.
In 1989, the Highway Bureau built a cantilevered concrete bridge next to the old bridge. As the roadbed is raised year by year and the road surface exceeds the top of the temple, the location of the “Acalanatha Temple” is apparently “compressed” under the bridge, so it is not easy to notice this small temple.
【Acala at the Silver Belt Bridge at the Central Cross-Island Highway during the Japanese Occupation】
During the Japanese colonial period, the Silver Belt Bridge (now Ning’an Bridge) was 92 meters long and 18 meters high. It was built in 1914 when the “New Town Taroko Road” was being built. There was a “Silver Belt Fall” on the side of the bridge, which is the origin of the bridge’s name.
Sharing old photos.
First built in 1914,
Named after the Gindai Taki next to the Fudo Myo-o Temple.
In 1939, the second-generation bridge was rebuilt a little bit downstream.
The bridge foundations on both sides of the second-generation bridge and the east-side bridge pillars are still there,
The iron cable joints on the bridge pillars are still visible.
There is still a small section of the old Hehuan Yue road surface, which is not as high as the current highway.
It was rebuilt into the third-generation steel cable bridge during the Central Cross-Island Highway period and the current fourth-generation highway cement bridge
…From the website Hualien Old Times
In 1914, after the Taroko expedition, the team leader of the security road construction project, Umezawa Tsune, was building the “New Town Inner Taroko Road”.
Umezawa Tsune, who was a former police inspector of the Police Department of the Governor-General’s Office of Taiwan under Japanese rule, and police inspector of the Engineer Division of the Army Training Corps, were experts in mountain road construction at the time. They built the Acala Shrine when they built the Inner Taroko Road to Tianxiang and Ning’an Bridge. This shrine was built in a natural cave!
…from the website Hualien Old Times
In 1644, the commander of Taiwan visited Hualien Port via the Nenggaoyue. On his way to inspect the detachment at Haishu Mountain, he visited this place and mentioned the inscription “Acala”.
The Acalanatha Vidyaraja worshipped here holds a sword in his right hand and a rope in his left hand, with a glaring look, and he is able to suppress evil and subdue demons.
The Japanese colony enshrined Acala, who was worshipped by the police officers in the early days. Next to the shrine, there is a spring gushing out from a crevice in the rock.
As shown in the photo, the spring water is crystal clear!
There is a clear spring gushing out nearby, which is called “Silver Belt Taki”, also known as “Fudo Taki”. The spring water is sweet and clear. It is the “scenery of Taroko in all four seasons” and the “clear water of Fudo Rock in summer” landscape.
During the Japanese occupation, it was only worshipped by the aboriginal police. Later, it gradually became a scenic spot. Later, tourists would pay homage here, offer white rice as tribute, and place bright pieces in front of the stage to pray devoutly for safe travel.
After that, the spring water became sweet as drink and gradually became a symbol of safety for road construction workers, and tourists came here to pray for safety in and out of Taroko.
…From the website Hualien Old Times
Isn’t this similar to:
In the past, our ancestors would go in and out of the Tamsui Ancient Road and pray to the God of Land for a smooth journey;
or now in the Republic of China, we park our cars and pray for safe journeys.
>Same behavior, different presentation!
【Acala】
Acalanatha, also known as the Immovable Messenger or the Immovable Lord (Sanskrit name: Acalanatha), is a Buddhist tantric master.
The main deity of the Five Great Vidyarajas and the chief of the Eight Great Vidyarajas, the teaching chakra body of Vairocana Tathagata. Among the five great Vidyarajas who guard the five directions of east, south, west, north and center, the Vidyarajas who guard the center direction is also a famous guardian deity. Acala is regarded as the wrathful incarnation of Vairocana Tathagata.
The “Acala” in the name of Acala refers to his unchanging compassion, which cannot be changed or shaken by anything; “Ming” refers to the light of wisdom; and “King” is a respectful title for a person who can control all things and phenomena in the world. Acala’s vow is “Those who see my body will develop bodhi mind, those who hear my name will stop doing evil and cultivate good, those who hear my teachings will gain great wisdom, and those who know my mind will attain Buddhahood in this very body.”
Acala has a very high reputation in both Han and Tibetan Buddhism.
Acala, like Avalokitesvara and Ksitigarbha, is one of the three main Buddha statues worshipped by Tibetans.
Most of the followers of Japanese Esoteric Buddhism believe in Acala,
and Mount Koya is its shrine.
During the Edo Shogunate period, the Shogun set up the Five Colored Acala in Edo to pray for national security. Taiwan experienced a period of Japanese rule, and there was still incense worshipping Acala, and there are still temples dedicated to it in places such as Beitou in Taipei and Taroko in Hualien.
Image
Acalanatha’s body is blue-green in color. He holds a wisdom sword in his right hand and a vajra rope in his left hand. His right eye is looking up and his left eye is looking down. His body is surrounded by flames. They are usually shown in an angry image, representing the invincibility in exorcising demons and slaying ghosts.
Acalanatha has multiple images with two arms, four arms, and six arms, but he is mostly shown with two arms.
Buddhist guardian deity
The Buddhist Mahasanghika Sutra states: Outside the Jambu Dam, in the four seas, there are twelve beasts, all of which are Bodhisattvas. When a human is born, the Bodhisattva lives in a cave and is protected and benefited by these beasts. Therefore, the twelve zodiac signs in Han area follow this. Acala is one of the eight guardian gods of Buddhism, and the corresponding zodiac sign in Chinese is the rooster. Therefore, people in China whose zodiac sign is Rooster also wear the image of “Acalanatha” as their patron saint and natal Buddha.
Five Great Kings
Acalanatha, the central guardian angel, the incarnation of Vairocana Buddha.
The Three-era Vajra King, the Eastern Guardian Vajra King, and the incarnation of Akshobhya Tathagata.
Guandaliri, the guardian Vajra King of the South, the incarnation of Ratnasambhava Tathagata.
Mahākṣa Vajra, the guardian of the West, the incarnation of Amitabha Buddha.
Vajra Yaksha Vidyaraja, the guardian Vidyaraja of the North, the incarnation of Amoghasiddhi Buddha.