The Big Wild Goose Pagoda, also known as the Great Ci'en Temple Pagoda, was built in the west pagoda courtyard of Ci'en Temple in the third year of Emperor Gaozong's reign in the Tang Dynasty (AD 652). A five-story brick tower with a height of 180 feet was built, which was later rebuilt to seven stories during Wu Zetian's reign in Chang'an.
The Big Wild Goose Pagoda is 64.5 meters high. The tower body is a square cone with simple shape and majestic momentum. It is a rare masterpiece in my country's Buddhist architectural art.
Cen Shen, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, once praised in his poem: "The tower is like a gush of energy, soaring alone in the heavenly palace.
Climbing out of the world, the road is flat. The sky is empty.
The towering tower is like a ghost's work.
The four corners block the daylight, and the seven layers cover the sky. This shows the majestic momentum of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda.
The Big Wild Goose Pagoda is located in Ci'en Temple in the southern suburbs of Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. It is a famous ancient building in the country and is regarded as a symbol of the ancient capital of Xi'an.
What is painted in the center of Huizhou in Xi'an is this magnificent, simple and majestic famous ancient pagoda from the Tang Dynasty.
This pagoda is where Master Xuanzang specialized in translating and storing scriptures after he returned from India (ancient Tianzhu).
Because it was built in the style of the Indian Wild Goose Pagoda, it was named the Wild Goose Pagoda.
Since a smaller Wild Goose Pagoda was later built in the Jianfu Temple in Chang'an to show the difference, people called the Ci'en Temple Tower the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the Jianfu Temple Tower the Small Wild Goose Pagoda. This has been passed down to the public. to date.
The Big Wild Goose Pagoda is square in plan and built on a platform about 45 meters square and 5 meters high.
The tower has seven floors, with a side length of 25 meters at the bottom and a height of 64 meters from the ground to the top.
The tower body is made of bricks, and the joints between the polished bricks are extremely strong.
There are stairs in the tower that you can spiral up.
There is an arched door opening on each side of each floor. You can lean on the railing and have a panoramic view of Chang'an.
There are stone gates on all sides of the bottom floor of the pagoda, and there are exquisite Buddha statues carved on the gate masts. The lintel of the west gate is a picture of Amitabha preaching, and the picture is engraved with a magnificent hall.
The layout of the picture is rigorous and the lines are strong and smooth. It is said to be the work of Yan Liben, a great painter of the Tang Dynasty. It is an important material for the study of ancient Chinese architecture.
In the brick niches on both sides of the south gate of the pagoda, there are two inscriptions, "Preface to the Holy Teachings of the Tripitaka of the Tang Dynasty" and "Preface to the Tripitaka of the Holy Religion" written by Chu Suiliang, one of the four great calligraphers in the early Tang Dynasty. A stone tablet with elegant and unrestrained fonts.
After the end of the Tang Dynasty, the temple was repeatedly attacked by war and the palace was burned down, leaving only the Big Wild Goose Pagoda standing majestically.
According to another theory, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda was built in the third year of Yonghui reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty. Because it is located in Ci'en Temple, it is also called the Pagoda (the meaning of pagoda) in the west courtyard of Ci'en Temple.
When the Big Wild Goose Pagoda was first built, it had five floors, with a brick surface and an earth core. It later collapsed and was rebuilt with ten floors. In 704 AD, Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty rebuilt it into a pavilion-style blue brick pagoda, breaking the Tang Dynasty pagoda The conventional number of odd-numbered floors is increased to 10 floors.
In 931 AD, during the Five Dynasties, the Later Tang Dynasty renovated the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. The Big Wild Goose Pagoda was lowered to seven floors, with a square plane and composed of two parts: the base and the body.
In 1604 AD, the 23rd year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, while maintaining the basic shape of the tower body in the Tang Dynasty, a 60 cm thick cladding was completely built on the exterior.
The tower base is 48 meters long on a side and 4.2 meters high. Above it is the tower body, which is 25 meters long on a side and 59.9 meters high. The total height of the tower base and the tower body is 64.1 meters.
The walls of each floor of the tower are made of bricks to build flat columns and balustrades. There are large buckets on the upper parts of the columns, and brick gates are opened in the middle of the four sides of each floor.
The plane inside the tower is also square, with floors on each floor and escalators that can spiral up to the top of the tower.
The Big Wild Goose Pagoda was a famous tourist attraction in the Tang Dynasty, so it has a large number of inscriptions by literati. There are more than 200 inscriptions on the monument in the Ming and Qing Dynasties alone.
To this day, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda is still a landmark building in the ancient city of Xi'an and a famous scenic spot both at home and abroad.
The State Council promulgated it as the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units in 1961.
The Big Wild Goose Pagoda, full name "Cien Temple Big Wild Goose Pagoda", was built in 652 AD. The pavilion-style brick tower uses polished bricks with joints, and the brick walls show prisms, which can clearly separate the wall bays. China's unique traditional architectural art style.
According to historical records, Ci'en Temple was built by Li Zhi, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, to pray for his mother, Queen Wende, to pray for good fortune. It faces the Hanyuan Hall of the Daming Palace in the north and is surrounded by Qujiang Pool, Xingyuan and Leyou. Original, beautiful and charming scenery.
The Big Wild Goose Pagoda was designed and constructed by Master Xuanzang, the first abbot of Ci'en Temple, who returned from India and brought back a large number of Sanskrit classics and Buddhist relics. In order to enshrine and store these treasures, he personally designed and directed the construction.
Xuan Zang was revered as the "Master Tripitaka" and once went to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures against all odds.
Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty and Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty personally wrote the "Preface Stele to the Holy Religion of the Tripitaka of the Tang Dynasty" and the "Preface Stele to the Preface to the Tripitaka Holy Religion".
The Big Wild Goose Pagoda is a pavilion-style brick tower with a height of 64.517 meters and a base length of 25 meters. The tower body is in the shape of a square pyramid and sits on a square brick platform with a base area of ??42.5×48.5 meters and a height of 4.2 meters. , the tower body is made of blue bricks with polished bricks and seams, and the structure is strict. The exterior is made of imitation wood structure to form bays, and the size decreases in proportion from bottom to top. There is a spiral wooden ladder inside the tower that can be climbed up.
There is an arched door on the four sides of each floor, allowing you to lean on the railing and overlook the distance.
The entire building is grand in spirit, solemn and simple in style, simple and steady in shape, and well-coordinated in proportion. It is a masterpiece of architectural art in the Tang Dynasty.
Many famous poets of the Tang Dynasty visited the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and left behind beautiful verses that have been recited to this day, such as Du Fu's "The high standard spans the sky, the strong wind never stops"; Zhang Bayuan's "But strange birds fly on the flat ground, "Since the startling words mid-air" and so on.
Especially Cen Shen’s "Climbing the Ci'en Temple with Gao Shi and Xue Ju"; "The tower is like a gush of energy, standing alone in the heavenly palace; climbing out of the world, the road is empty.
< p> Shenzhou is abrupt and towering, like ghost work; the four corners block the daylight, and the seven layers cover the sky.Looking down, you can see the tall birds, and you can listen to the startling wind; the mountains are like waves, and they rush towards the east. .
The palaces and pavilions are so exquisite among the green locust trees; the autumn colors come from the west and the sky is full of green.
p> Once you have understood it clearly, you can understand it, and you will win because of your long-cherished teachings; I swear that I will hang up my crown and realize that my Taoist resources are endless."
The poet's majestic descriptions and philosophical exclamations often cause people to scream when they climb the tower.
As early as the Shenlong period of Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty, inscriptions on the wild goose pagoda had become a custom.
All newly qualified Jinshi will first have banquets in Qujiang and Xingyuan, and then climb to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and inscribe their name on the wall of the tower as a souvenir.
Bai Juyi, who was 27 years old at that time, became a Jinshi and wrote the poem "The inscription under the Ci'en Pagoda is the youngest among the seventeen people"; Liu Cang even more boldly wrote the poem "The New Year's Selected Tour, Apricot" "The first banquet in the garden was held at Qujiangtou; Zihao inscribed immortal books on the pink wall, and the sound of willow flutes touched the jade tower." The inscription on the Wild Goose Pagoda was mentioned together with the ascension to immortality. It can be seen that they were filled with the joy of spring breeze and regarded the inscription on the Wild Goose Pagoda as a great honor. .
Later on, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda had become a scene where "the four walls of the pagoda courtyard and cabin were all inscribed by ministers and ministers." Unfortunately, a fire during the reign of Emperor Shenzong of the Northern Song Dynasty destroyed the precious inscription walls.
When arriving at Ci'en Temple, people will naturally think of Xuanzang, a famous monk from the Tang Dynasty. He was the first abbot and abbot here.
Xuanzang, a native of Yanshi, Henan, was a famous traveler, translator, and Buddhist scholar in the history of our country. In 628 AD, he traveled west from Chang'an and went through hardships and dangers to reach India, where he was taught by Master Jiexian. After careful guidance, when he returned to his motherland in 645 AD, the imperial court held an unprecedented grand welcome ceremony at Ci'en Temple, dispatching more than 1,500 royal carriages, more than 200 embroidered Buddha statues, and more than 500 prayer flags embroidered with gold threads to enter the temple. He and the eminent monks who were seeing him off were seated in 500 Zhuangbao cars, and the occasion was unprecedented.
Xuanzang brought back 657 Buddhist scriptures and translated 74 Buddhist scriptures, totaling 1,335 volumes, in Hongfu Temple, Ci'en Temple, Yuhua Temple and other places. He translated books among the four major translators of Buddhism in my country. The most, the most precise translation.
At the request of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Xuanzang also dictated and recorded by his disciples the history of the 110 cities and 28 rumored regions and countries he experienced during his 17-year journey, as well as the mountains, rivers, transportation, Folk customs, products and climate, political culture, religious beliefs, etc. are compiled into 12 volumes of "The Records of the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty", leaving precious cultural heritage to future generations.
This legendary figure is revered as "Master Tripitaka". The story of him defying all odds and going to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures has been widely circulated since the Tang Dynasty.
On this basis, the novelist Wu Chengen of the Ming Dynasty wrote "Journey to the West", one of the four most popular novels in ancient China.
The Big Wild Goose Pagoda is indeed the home of Buddhist classics. It is a temple built under the auspices of the royal family. With its prominent status and grand scale, it is a scenic spot that cannot be ignored during your trip to Xi'an.
According to the latest reports, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda was not built by Prince Li Zhi in memory of his mother, Queen Wende, but by Master Xuanzang in the 22nd year of Zhenguan in order to release scriptures at the suggestion of the then Emperor Tang Gaozong. It was built, rebuilt in the post-Wu Zetian era, and rebuilt in the Ming Dynasty to this day.
The Big Wild Goose Pagoda was built in the third year of Yonghui reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty. Because it is located in Ci'en Temple, it is also called Ci'en Temple Pagoda.
Daci'en Temple is the most famous and magnificent Buddhist temple in Chang'an City of the Tang Dynasty. It was built by royal order of the Tang Dynasty.
Xuanzang, Sanzang of the Tang Dynasty, once presided over temple affairs here, took charge of the Buddhist scripture translation field, and founded a Buddhist sect.
He personally supervised the construction of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in the temple.
Therefore, Daci’en Temple has a very prominent position in the history of Chinese Buddhism and has always received attention at home and abroad.
When it was first built, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda had only five floors. It was rebuilt during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian and later underwent many renovations.
The body of the tower is made of green bricks, and the walls of each floor are made of imitation wood structures such as columns, beams, and railings; there are arches on all four sides of each floor.
This pavilion-style brick pagoda is a masterpiece of Chinese Buddhist architectural art.
On both sides of the south gate on the ground floor of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda are two stone tablets written by Chu Suiliang, a famous calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty.
One is the "Preface to the Tripitaka Holy Religion of the Tang Dynasty"; the other is the "Preface to the Tripitaka Holy Religion" written by Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty.
The arabesque pattern on the side of the monument is beautiful in pattern and vivid in shape.
These are important cultural relics for studying the calligraphy, painting, and sculpture arts of the Tang Dynasty.
It is an important historical heritage of our country.