The Large Wild Goose Pagoda, Xian is located within the premises of the Temple of Great Maternal Grace (Dacien Si). This magnificent pagoda is four kilometers south of the urban center of Xi'an. Many people regard it as a symbol of the city and it is one of the most famous Buddhist pagodas in China. The Large Wild Goose Pagoda, Xian, built in 652 A.D, is a square pyramid and stands 60 meters high and comprising of seven stories.
The Large Wild Goose Pagoda, Xian was originally built in 589 A.D. in the Sui Dynasty, Da Ci'en temple and was named Wu Lou Si Temple. Legend has it that the Temple was built by Emperor Tang Gaozong to honor his mother, Empress Wende. The Temple is also said to have been built to protect and house the Buddhist scriptures collected in India by the Chinese monk, Xuan Zang. It was not until 648 A.D. when Emperor Li Zhi, sponsored a repair project on the temple. The Emperor Gaozong was said to pay worship to the temple twice a day by looking in its direction from the Hanyuan Palace.
The Large Wild Goose Pagoda with 13 separate courtyards, contained 1,879 spacious rooms altogether and was a place of grand extent in the Tang Dynasty. However, it went into gradual decay after the downfall of the Tang Dynasty. The halls and rooms that have survived the ages are structures that were built in the Ming Dynasty. The decay of the earth-cored pagoda led to the construction of a new 10-storey pagoda from 701 to 704. However, the winds of war in the coming years reduced the pagoda almost to ruins, which in turn resulted in the construction of a 7-stored, 64 meter high structure that stands today.
The Large Wild Goose Pagoda, Xian was an architectural marvel as it was built with layers of bricks but without any cement in between. The bracket style in traditional Chinese architecture was also used in the construction of the pagoda. The seams between each layer of bricks and the prisms on each side of the pagoda are clearly visible. The grand body of the pagoda with its sober appearance, simple style and high structure, is indeed a fantastic example of Chinese traditional architecture.
How to get there: The Large Wild Goose Pagoda is situated in the south of the city. To get there you must take bus No.41 from the train station.
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