Er Lang Shen - The Protector of River City
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Er Lang Shen is an Angle, the protector of River City. He is a son of Li Bing, a Governor of Xi Chuan Province, who lived during Qin Dynasty era.
At that time, Min River (Min Jiang, one of Yang Zi River branches with the spring in Xi Chuan area), frequently resulted in flood in Guan Kou area (near Cheng Du). As a Governor who was sensitive to the people suffering, Li Bing invited his son Li Er Lang, to visit disaster area and thinking how to deal it with.
Guan Kou people that had been desperate to encounter flood that always destroyed houses and their irrigated rice field and unirrigated rice field, seemed to give up and relied on the spiritual counselor to avoid the disaster. The spiritual counselor used this opportunity to exploit and threatened the people. It was said that the flood was due to King of Dragon wished to seek for wife. The people are required to send a girl every year to become the wife of King of Dragon in that Min River. Then every years was held ceremony of plunging a girl to the river led by spiritual counselor and followed by wailing and weeping of the girl’s parents.
Li Bing was determined to end all of these. And tried to make people aware that disaster could be hindered if they were willing to cooperate to restore the river flow. This effort was of course opposed by the spiritual counselors who saw that they would suffer loss if people no longer believed to them.
To encounter them, Li Bing said that his daughter was ready to become a wife of King of Dragon for this year. He asked the spiritual counselor led the ceremony. Previously, Li Bing instructed Er Lang to capture a big puff-faced water snake, pun into a bag and hidden in the bottom of the river.
At the time of bride delivery ceremony was held in the brink of river, Li Bing said to the spiritual counselor that he wished the King of Dragon showed itself in order that people could see its face. The spiritual counselor got angry and threatened. But Li Bing who was determined to end this cruel practice, asserted that the spiritual counselor to show the face of King of Dragon. Due to possible condition to act, Li Bing ordered his son Li Er Lang to jump into the river and forced the King of Dragon to emerge. After diving for a moment Er Lang came out again while dragged carcass or the said puff-faced water snake ashore. The people were uproarious. Li Bing said that the cruel King of Dragon has been killed. The people no longer required to worry about the disturbance anymore and needless to sacrifice their girls every year.
After that, Li Bing persuaded the people to control Min River. This effort was finally successful and people in that region were free from the flood. To commemorate the merit of Li Bing and Er Lang, then it was established Temple of Anniversary in that place.
Er Lang Shen, was adored by many people in Xi Chuan Province. Several Big temples particularly established for him located in Guan Xian called Guan Kou Miao: in Cheng Du, Bao Ning, Ya An and several other places named of Er Lang Miao ( Er Lang Temple). In addition to Xi Chuan, Hu Nan Province also had several quite prehistoric Er Lang Miao.
Er Lang Shen was featured as a handsome young man with three eyes, wearing golden dress, brings a three–pronged spear, followed by a Dog of Heavens (Thien Kou), and sometimes added with an eagle. He was considered as an Angle who Protecting City in the brink of river. But also often featured together with Tai Shang Lao Jun as guards.
