The bell of the Cypress Grove Temple was cast in the 46th year of
the reign of Emperor Kangxi during the Qing Dynasty (1707). Part of
the
Buddhavatamsaka-mahavaipulya Sutra was carved on the
bell, so it was also known as the Buddhavatamsaka-mahavaipulya
Bell. The bell is 2.36 meters in height, 1.68 meters in rim
diameter and 2,268 kilogrammes in weight. It was originally kept at
the Cypress Grove Temple east of the Guozijian (Imperial College).
The temple was built in the 7th year of the reign of Zhizheng
during the Yuan Dynasty (1347) and rebuilt during the reign of
Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty. Usually after a bell was cast
out of its mould, its pouring head was removed. Then finishing
touches were done. The surface of such a cast bell is more or less
uneven. But the surface of the Buddhavatamsaka- mahavaipulya Bell
is very smooth. The characters of the sutra cast on the bell are
neat and graceful. They are so smooth that one can hardly believe
that the characters of the sutra and the bell itself were cast
simultaneously. According to an analysis, the entire bell was
polished for a long time after it was cast. Another feature of the
bell is that the
pulao bell handle is superb and lifelike,
vividly depicting the bravery and fierceness of the dragon's
offspring. The legend goes that the dragon gave birth to nine sons,
but none of them became dragons, and that one of them was called
pulao whose roar shook heaven and earth. According to the
Selections from Ban Gu, "There is the big fish called the
whale in the sea and the animal called
pulao at the
seaside. The
pulao is always afraid of the whale. Whenever
the whale attacks the
pulao, the latter roars. Whoever
wishes to make a bell sonorous puts a
pulao design on it.
The striker is the whale." So the image of the
pulao was
cast on the bell. This made it possible to suspend the bell and
express people's real wishes. This was an ingenious combination of
art and reality.
