appearance of a skull cap, studded with fir nuts, with a round space over the forehead, painted partly red, partly brown, similar colours with blue decorating the head dress. Between the eye brows stands a large round jade, and in the centre of the bare breast, the brasitica or character 卍 is depicted, studded with blue drops. The gilding, though bright, is thin and well executed; the folds of the garments and bands being picked with vermillion, as also are the lips of the image. The countenance is pleasing. The width over the knees on the seat is 36 feet. In a halo over the head, the recess is coloured to a purple brown, the rest of the coving and the artificial arch being white-washed.
Of the history of this idol the monks know little (11); but tradition assigns its sculpture to the time of the Leang Dynasty (A. D. 550) The tomb of the first high priest is shown close by the temple, under some trees, and is pointed to with much veneration. A cave in a rock above the temple is also said to contain the books and remains of a studious old priest. The monks speak of a fire so intense as to have destroyed the fingers of the image as at first carved, and of the plunder of a precious gem, erst in the place of the present jade between the eyebrows;—circumstances leading to the conclusion that in days gone by there were ruthless men as little disposed to pay respect to Buddha as the present iconoclastic followers of Tai-ping-Wang.
Attached to the Monastery are 150 mow of land, for which the priests pay government annually 250 cash a mow.—Altogether they pay the state 60 Taels per annum. On the exterior of the great temple are the following inscriptions. Over the lower verandah 殿寶雄大 Tah-yeong-pow-tea,
