A Day Trip to Erfo Temple in Chongqing CBD Riverside Park

Erfo Temple is located on Nanbin Road in the Nanan District, which is known as the Bund of Chongqing, within the Riverside Park 150 meters south of the intersection with the Chongqing Chaotianmen Yangtze River Bridge, the world's largest span arch bridge. It is 1 kilometer away from the Dafosi Temple on Nanbin Road. Covering more than 10 acres, Erfo Temple is a Ming and Qing style wooden structure built against the mountain and by the water, offering a pleasant scenery. The temple's main gate is adorned with gilded couplets engraved with gold, expressing the grandeur of the rolling Yangtze River and the benevolence of the Great Yu's flood control, the majestic Nanshan Mountain embracing the compassionate Erfo, the sound of the ancient temple's Zen bell, and the unchanging sight of monks studying by the light of green lamps and yellow scrolls. The main hall houses a bronze statue of Sakyamuni Buddha, resplendent in gold, with a kind and peaceful demeanor. Statues of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, Guanyin Bodhisattva, and other Buddhas are placed on both sides, lifelike in their postures. The gilded couplets in the main hall read 'Erfo of Nanxi widely connects with devotees; the merciful Buddha brings eternal fortune to the world.' Fifty meters east of the temple, on the cliff, there are inscriptions, poems, and a single Buddha statue left by ancient literati. Fifty meters west of the temple, a gallery is built. The temple environment is tranquil and elegant: morning bells and evening drums, light tapping of the wooden fish, and the lingering sound of Buddhist chants; the temple's vegetation is well-planned, lush and dripping with greenery, flowers blooming in competition; in front of the temple, the Yangtze River stretches for thousands of miles, with boats vying with each other; to the left, the Chaotianmen Bridge spans the sky, turning a natural moat into a thoroughfare. Legend has it that Erfo Temple near Chongqing's Chaotianmen was built during the Ming Dynasty. There are often tales told by the elderly locals: beneath the rugged Erfo Rock by the Yangtze River, there lived a merchant who frequently traveled by boat to Shanghai for business, often encountering risks and seeing his business decline day by day, leaving his family in constant worry. One night, the merchant dreamt of an old man with a white beard who told him that the rocky mountain in front of his house was an incarnation of the Buddha, and that he should worship it more. If he called upon the great compassion of Guanyin Bodhisattva in times of danger, the Bodhisattva would surely hear and relieve his suffering. Since then, the merchant regularly took his wife and children to worship at the cliff, making offerings and prayers. Before each business trip, he would bathe, change clothes, and pray for protection and blessings. After that, the merchant never experienced any loss in business, and everyone on the same boat, including the boatmen, were safe and sound, and their voyages were smooth sailing. Through honest business practices, the merchant eventually became a well-respected philanthropist, wealthy and beloved by all. Word spread, and neighbors frequently came to burn incense and pray, with their prayers often answered, showing the exceptional spiritual power of the place. Devotees flocked to the temple to pay their respects, and the incense offerings grew more abundant. In gratitude for the Bodhisattva's grace, the merchant, to facilitate the worship of the locals, spent all his wealth to build a temple on the spot and invited a statue of Sakyamuni Buddha from Mount Emei to be enshrined on the rock. Thus, Erfo Temple was born and has continued to this day.