China's four sacred Buddhist mountains are Mount Putuo in Zhejiang, Mount Emei in Sichuan, Mount Wutai in Shanxi and Mount Jiuhua in Anhui.

Of them, Jiuhua is the least popular, chiefly because its scenery is not as spectacular as the others. An attraction mainly for Buddhist pilgrims as opposed to mass tourism, it is lovely and certainly quieter and with a palpable religious ambience.

Last month I had the chance to explore the holy site during a two-day trip and was left beguiled by the mountain known as the "land of Buddhas and incense."

Huacheng Monastery

I left Hefei, the Anhui provincial capital in the morning and arrived at Jiuhua Road around noon.

At 600 metres above sea level, the road is about halfway up the mountain, and is the starting point for Buddhist pilgrims and tourists visiting one or other of the 97 temples spread across and around it.

Third century Taoist monks built thatched temples, but with the rise of Buddhism in the country, they were gradually replaced by the stone monasteries of the Buddhists.

In 719 AD, a Korean Buddhist disciple, Kim Kiao Kak, arrived. He stayed for the next 75 years and founded a place of worship to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, the Guardian of the Earth. After his death, he was honoured as the reincarnation of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. Since then, the mountain has gradually developed into a sacred place.

In its heyday during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), as many as 5,000 monks and nuns, living in more than 300 monasteries, worshipped at Mt Jiuhua. Today some 1,000 monks and nuns remain.

To see as many of the sites as possible, I decided to catch the cable car to the top of Motian Peak and start with a visit to Baisui Temple.

Nestling on top the temple features connected five-storey stone buildings, which enclose a square courtyard. From a distance, it looks like a white castle overlooking the surrounding woods.

Originally built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and renovated in the Qing (1644-1911), the temple houses the gold-covered corpse of Monk Wuxia (means flawless).

The devout monk lived in a cave and subsisted on wild fruit and spring water until his death at the age of 110. His mummified remains were later covered with paint and then gold, and ever since have been a religious icon and focal point of worship.

Since the Tang Dynasty, the corpses of 15 monks and a nun, who it was considered had attained Nirvana have been similarly preserved. At present, six of them can still be seen at Mt Jiuhua, adding a mystical touch to the religious site.

As one of the top four monasteries on the mountain, Baisui Temple is a typical example of southern Anhui architecture, with white-washed walls, black tiled roofs, elegant upward eaves and lofty gables.

Along a stone-paved lane, I descended to the bottom of the peak and visited Huacheng Temple.

With a history of more than 1,000 years, the temple was once the largest monastery on Mt Jihua, and in its most flourishing period had more than 1,000 monks.

Over the centuries it has been destroyed and then rebuilt a number of times and today only four structures remain. Three of them were built in the Qing Dynasty and the other, a pavilion housing a collection of Buddhist classics, was restored in recent years.

Currently, the temple serves as the Mount Jiuhua History Museum and houses a collection of more than 700 relics, which give a deeper insight into the glory of the mountain.

It was nearing dusk when I set off to leave for the evening. Strolling along Jiuhua Road the chanting of monks and nuns emanating from nearby temples and the wafting fragrance of joss sticks sent me on my way, feeling tranquil and freed from the hustle and bustle of daily life.

Tiantai Summit

Leading from Jiuhua Road is a stone-paved lane which wends up to Tiantai (Heaven Platform) Summit.

But with time pressing, the next morning I took the cable car to Baijing Platform, a flat stone landing, surrounded by strange, sheer rock formations, and a temple with three halls.

Standing on the platform in front of the grand hall, one can see stone crags and rock formations of various shapes rising from the steep mountain slopes.

On one stone are two footprints, reputedly made by Kim Kiao Kak, and considered a holy sign.

Stone steps lead from Baijing Platform to the summit, 1,306 metres above sea level. Cut out of the granite ridge of the mountain, they make one think of a stairway to the heavens.

Ascending the steps, I started to feel as if I was making a pilgrimage. After a half-hour climb, I saw the magnificent grand hall of Tiantai Temple towering before me at the end of the path.

Another 30 minutes found me in front of the hall, at the summit. From there one can look out over green gullies, forests of fir and bamboo trees, and other temples with yellow walls and black tiled roofs, otherwise hidden on the mountain. Under a blue sky, the view is quite spectacular.

The temple, originally built in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and renovated in the Ming Dynasty, serves as a reminder of the enormous sacrifice made to build it at this height.

Minyuan Scenic Area

To save time I came down by cable car and made for Minyuan Scenic Area.

Featuring scenery typical of southern Anhui Province, Minyuan is a broad valley which gave me a pleasant sense of being back down to Earth.

I walked through part of the 160 hectare bamboo forest, hidden in which are three villages with beautiful old houses, whose white-washed walls, black-tiled roofs and gables, are a good place to find delicate brick and woodcarvings.

Over 20 small nunneries nestle in the forest, similar in appearance to the village houses and often close to small plots of paddy, vegetable fields and tea gardens.

Most are home to a nun and her young disciple, who subsist on farming.

The major tourist attraction of Minyuan is a tree named the Phoenix Pine. Reputed to be over 1,400 years old, it is 7.8 metres tall and its trunk one metre in diameter.

I visited three other monasteries near Jiuhua Road in my last afternoon, all of which had something special to offer, be it a beautiful setting, or housing old statues.

Two days, alas, were not enough to enjoy all of the charms of Mt Jiuhua. And there will certainly be a next time for me.

(China Daily June 18, 2005)