Pagoda
Xian, China
Big Goose Pagoda
entrance
the grounds
the pagoda
Dayanta, informally known as the "Big Goose Pagoda", is one of two Tang-dynasty pagodas that still stand in Xian. It was built during the reign of Emperor Xuan Zun to store sutras and statues brought from India by Xuan Zang (604-662), a Chinese pilgrim monk immortalized in "The Monkey," a Chinese literary classic. Standing seven stories tall (64 meters), the pagoda towers over the surrounding landscape and the Dacien temple complex that has grown up around it. Originally it was a brick structure five stories tall, but in the year 704 the two additional stories were added. The outer walls of the temple were added in the Ming dynasty.
"in-theme" trash can
entrance to the Buddhist temple
Dacien temple complex
Buddhist altar
Buddha
The famous Chinese poet Tu Fu
recorded his impressions of the pagoda in the year 752 in his work "On Going to
the Top of the Pagoda of the Tz'u-en Monastery with a Party of Friends". He
wrote:
Its high pinnacle pierces the boundless blue,
A violent wind is blowing without a pause.
gardens
The outer walls of the temple were added in the Ming dynasty.
Dayanta
