Road to Heaven at the Hades Cave
The Mable Mountains has been considered "The Landscape of the Southern Sky” (Nam Thien Danh Thang). According to the Yin and Yang theory on the five basic elements of the earth, it is called the god's gift to mankind. At the Marble Mountains, visitors can not only visit the pagodas but also enjoy the poetic beauty of nature. The caves inside the Marble Mountains are a mysterious world. Endowed by nature, Hades Cave is considered one of the largest and most mysterious caves among others of the Marble Mountains.
Hades Cave was named in the reign of King Minh Mang at the beginning of the nineteenth century when the King visited the mountains. According to the Yin and Yang theory, humans and animals lives have two opposing sides, including day and night and birth and death. Therefore, there is a road to Heaven at the Thuy Son Mount and a road to Hades. Surrounding the Hades Cave are many legends about the birth and death and goodness and evil. In the Hades Cave, there are two paths, one to Heaven and one to Hell.
With its natural and historical values, legends and the meaning of the Buddhism, Hades Cave is an impressive sight-seeing place for domestic and foreign visitors at the Marble Mountains.
(Ngoc Han)
(01/11/2006)