Nan Guanyin Cave, along with its sister cave to the north on Yuhuang Mountain, embodies the unique Buddhist culture of Hangzhou’s Guanyin caves. Nestled to the south of Yuhuang Mountain and on the southern foothills of Jiangtai Mountain, it lies to the east of the southern entrance of the current Yuhuang Mountain Tunnel. In front of the cave, there once stood a temple known as Jingsheng Yuan.
Yuhuang Mountain’s protruding stones, resembling a dragon’s head, give rise to two dragons, an upper and a lower one. The upper stone dragon is located at Yongshou Yuan, now the site of the Ciyun Ridge stone carvings, while the lower stone dragon is at Jingsheng Yuan, leading to Jingsheng Yuan’s alternative name as the Lower Stone Dragon Temple (Nunnery).
This serene and pleasant natural cave stands approximately 3 meters in height and depth. Within its depths, one can find the statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva and his attendants. The style of these statues suggests they were carved during the Southern Song Dynasty, though their features have been obscured by the application of mud and gold by later worshippers.
The carving dates, as indicated by the remaining inscriptions, include the first year of Kaixi (AD 1205), the first year of Jiading (AD 1208), and the seventh year of Hongzhi during the Ming Dynasty (AD 1494). These dates indicate that the carving of Nan Guanyin Cave began after the Southern Song Dynasty relocated its capital to Hangzhou, then known as Lin’an Prefecture, and continued into the Ming Dynasty.The Jingsheng Yuan, also known as the Lower Stone Dragon Temple, once stood in front of the Nan Guanyin Cave, but it no longer exists today. Nan Guanyin Cave, however, remains unchanged. A portion of the ruins of Jingsheng Yuan now forms the foundation of Nanfu Road, while another part has been transformed into a small temple housing two Buddhist halls. These halls enshrine Guanyin and other bodhisattvas. On the first and fifteenth days of each month, as well as on Guanyin Bodhisattva’s birthday, the temple is bustling with worshippers, and the air is thick with the smoke of incense. This scene inevitably brings to mind the prosperous times of the Jingsheng Yuan seven hundred years ago during the Southern Song Dynasty.
In contrast to the stone carvings in the Shilong Cave on the mountain during the same period, the artistic value here is considered slightly inferior.
The cave is accessible all year round and can be visited at any time.
