松江唐经幢
The Stone Pillar of Dharani Sutra
经幢是一种为纪念和宣传而建的佛教石刻建筑，始见于唐，一般设置在通衢、寺庙、墓道附近。松江唐经幢全名“佛顶尊胜陀罗尼经幢”，建于唐大中十三年（859），是上海现存最古老的地面文物，也是现存唐代经幢中保存较为完整、体量较大的一座，为全国重点文物保护单位。
这座经幢的建立素有“镇海眼”之说。南宋诗人许尚撰《华亭百咏》诗别集，为每一华亭古迹作一首绝句。其中《石幢》篇下加注：“望云桥南，此地昔有涌泉，云是海眼，立幢于上以镇之。”诗云：“屹立应千载，传因海眼成。蓬莱水清浅，曾不见攲倾。”明正德《松江府志》也有相同的表述：“相传地有涌泉，云是海眼，唐大中十三年立此镇之。”
松江唐经幢由大青石雕刻而成，以托座、束腰、柱、华盖等形式的组合垒造至21级，通高9.3米，八角柱形。其中第9、10级为中段的柱形幢身，上部刻有《佛顶尊胜陀罗尼经》与建幢题记，下部镌有捐助人姓氏。经幢的其他部分雕有波涛、卷云、佛山、殿宇、莲瓣、牡丹、盘龙、蹲狮、佛像、菩萨、供养人等。雕刻层次清晰，花卉人兽均清晰可见，精致的造型和布局展现唐代石刻艺术。幢身题记中“立于通衢”四字说明该幢建于古华亭县城的要道，这对于研究松江古代城市格局具有重要的价值。
参观指南
位于松江中山小学内，工作日（16:00—19:00）、周末与假日（8:00—16:30），可凭身份证入校参观。
Tips
Hours: Weekdays 16:00–19:00, weekends and holidays 8:00–16:30. In Zhongshan Elementary School, showing ID to enter.
The pillars of Sutra are freestanding stone monuments inscribed with the portions of Buddhist holy text for commemoration and evangelistic dissemination. Having been emerged in the Tang dynasty, they were often erected near thoroughfares, temples, and tombs. This stone pillars of Dharani Sutra were built in 859 (Tang) and are the oldest extant aboveground historical monuments in Shanghai today.
A legend has it that it they were built to calm the tempestuous spring waters. A poem composed during the Southern Song dynasty says: “legend tells of this place's importance as the eye of the sea. A tempestuous spring that once rose from this spot was tamed only by a pillar.” Another poem concludes: “Lasting for thousands of years, born as the eye of the sea. The celestial spring water is shallow and the pillar will never slant.” Similar descriptions can be found in the chorography of Songjiang Prefecture from the Ming dynasty.
The stone pillar is composed of several parts including the pedestal, base, dado, column, and cornice, among others. The impressive structure is a 9.3-meter octagonal column with 21 stories. The ninth and tenth stories are considered the main body of the pillars with the “Usnisa Vijaya Dharani Sutra” carved on the upper parts and with the donors' names engraved on the lower sections. Other portions of the pillar are engraved with various patterns, such as waves, cirrus clouds, holy mountains, temples, lotus petals, peonies, serpentine dragons, crouching lions, statues of the Buddha, bodhisattvas, and supporters, et al. With distinctive nuance, clear images, and exquisite design, the symbols and depictions demonstrate the sophisticated stone carving art of the Tang dynasty. The note on the column says that it was located along the thoroughfare in the past Huating County, which aids in studying the ancient urban layout of Songjiang.