The Buddha?
The Eighteen Lohans
The next “scenic area” contains the Eighteen Lohans. They are on a bluff facing passerby. There are old ones, young ones - each of the eighteen are different. In Chinese mythology, each serves a different function.
The Hsi Lai Temple in Hacienda Heights, CA, currently has a visage of the eighteen Lohans. In it they are meant to be different, wildly different. There is a spindly man, a fat man and someone who is very severe, and so on. You find that on Phoenix Hill as well.
The Three Buddhas Grotto
At this juncture, we can turn about to head down what will become Songcheng Road to town, or we can go uphill to see the “Three Buddhas Grotto.” A “Sweeper” I met mentioned yet another way back to the city from here, but the three buddhas are beckoning!
We head uphill to the “Three Buddhas Grotto." It’s not far, but alas! No Buddhas are in it! Robbers have taken all three!
The Palace – NOT!
Now a slight turn downhill - almost to the house where the two women live. But not quite. Just before reaching the house, look down the cliff. There, fifty feet down, is where I first thought the Palace used to be! Further research revealed that this area was too remote to be the right site. The Palace was large and commodious, and sat inside the area where "the hills face each other." On this early hike, I hadn't yet discovered that area. So if something WAS here, it wasn't the Palace!
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