So many make the pilgrimage to Jiuhuashan Di-cang-an Temple!
Jiuhuashan Di-cang-an Temple was once known as “Chiayi Beiyue Hall Kṣitigarbha - Jiuhuashan Di-cang-an Temple”
The main hall of Di-cang-an Temple is dedicated to Kṣitigarbha and the grand hall is dedicated to Sakyamuni Buddha. The front courtyard hosts Taishue Hall and Wenchang Hall. Dabei Hall is dedicated to Guanyin Goddess, Mituo Hall is dedicated to Amitābha, Yaoshi Hall is dedicated to Bhaiṣajyaguru, and the Dayuan Hall on the top floor is dedicated to four statues of Namo Ksitigarbha. The main statue of Ksitigarbha is believed to have been crafted by Koji pottery master Wang Ye. The statue looks very solemn and filled with mercy. As it is believed to frequently help those in need and watch over the local people, the temple became the center of local religious belief.
More than ten thousand people generally attend the three annual temple festivals. Di-Cang-An Temple attracts a steady stream of pilgrims and frequently engages in charitable work to bring salvation to the masses. The main statue of Kṣitigarbha inside the temple as well as the Yamarāja statues in the ten halls are all antiques of great historical value.
The golden statue of Kṣitigarbha at Di-Cang-An Temple was brought to Taiwan by a charitable donor towards the end of the Ming Period. It was enshrined at its current location more than three centuries ago in the 36th Year of the Kangxi Era (1697 AD). The temple was founded in the 56th Year of the Kangxi Era (1717 AD) by the Chong-gong You, commander of the Beilu Garrison. County Magistrate Tan Li significantly expanded the temple in the 25th Year of the Qianlong Era (1760 AD). The temple underwent several more renovations and was rebuilt in 1971 as a seven-story Lotus Pavilion.
