The symbol of old-line xi’an
As the symbol of the old-line Xi’an, Big Wild Goose
Pagoda is a well-preserved ancient building and a holy
place for Buddhists. It is located in the southern suburb
of Xian City, about 4 kilometers (2.49 miles) from the
downtown of the city. Standing in the Da Ci'en Temple
complex, it attracts numerous visitors for its fame in the
Buddhist religion, its simple but appealing style of
construction, and its new square in front of the temple. It
is rated as a National Key Cultural Relic Preserve as
well as an AAAA Tourist Attraction.
This attraction can be divided into three parts: the Big
Wild Goose Pagoda, the Da Ci'en Temple, and the North
Square of Big Wild Goose Pagoda.
Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Originally built in 652 during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of
the Tang Dynasty (618-907), it functioned to collect Buddhist
materials that were taken from India by the hierarch XuanZang.
XuanZang started off from Chang'an (the ancient Xi’an), along
the Silk Road and through deserts, finally arriving in India, the
cradle of Buddhism. Enduring 17 years and traversing 100
countries, he obtained Buddha figures, 657 kinds of sutras, and
several Buddha relics. Having gotten the permission of Emperor
GaoZong (628-683), XuanZang, as the first abbot of Da Ci'en
Temple, supervised the building of a pagoda inside it. With the
support of royalty, he asked 50 hierarchs into the temple to
translate Sanskrit in sutras into Chinese, totaling 1,335 volumes,
which heralded a new era in the history of translation. Based on
the journey to India, he also wrote a book entitled 'Pilgrimage to
the West' in the Tang Dynasty, to which scholars attached great
importance.
Stories
First built to a height of 60 meters (197 feet) with five
stories, it is now 64.5 meters (211.6 feet) high with an
additional two stories. It was said that after that addition
came the saying-'Saving a life exceeds building a sevenstoried pagoda'. Externally it looks like a square cone,
simple but grand and it is a masterpiece of Buddhist
construction. Built of brick, its structure is very firm.
Inside the pagoda, stairs twist up so that visitors can
climb and overlook the panorama of Xian City from the
arch-shaped doors on four sides of each storey. On the
walls are engraved fine statues of Buddha by the
renowned artist Yan Liben of the Tang Dynasty. Steles
by noted calligraphers also grace the pagoda.
Legend
As for the reason why it is called Big Wild Goose
Pagoda, there is a legend. According to ancient stories
of Buddhists, there were two branches, for one of which
eating meat was not a taboo. One day, they couldn't find
meat to buy. Upon seeing a group of big wild geese
flying by, a monk said to himself: ‘Today we have no
meat. I hope the merciful Bodhisattva will give us some’.
At that very moment, the leading wild goose broke its
wings and fell to the ground. All the monks were startled
and believed that Bodhisattva showed his spirit to order
them to be more pious. They established a pagoda
where the wild goose fell and stopped eating meat.
Hence it got the name 'Big Wild Goose Pagoda’.
Da Ci'en Temple
Da Ci'en Temple is the home of Big Wild Goose
Pagoda. In 648, to commemorate the dead virtuous
queen, royalty ordered the building of a temple named
'Ci'en' (Mercy and Kindness), for which the status and
scale far exceeded all others. Today, with an area of
32,314 square meters (38,648.5 square yards), one
seventh of the original area, it still retains its grandeur.
Before the temple, there stands a statue of hierarch
XuanZang, the meritorious hierarch. Walking on and
across a small bridge, visitors will see the gates of the
temple. With guarding lions, the temple seems stately for
lions were said to function as talismans.
The inside of the temple
Entering the temple you will see two buildings-Bell Tower in the
east and Drum Tower in the west. Inside the Bell Tower hangs an
iron bell 15 tons (14.76 gross tons) in weight. It was molded in
1548 in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Along the central axis are
arranged the Hall of Mahavira, Sermon Hall, Big Wild Goose
Pagoda, and the Hall of XuanZang SanZang. In the Hall of
Mahavira are three carved statues of Sakyamuni, and 18 arhats
as well as XuanZang. The Sermon Hall is where Buddhist
disciples would listen to a sermon. A bronze statue of Amitabha is
dedicated and a Buddha statue is collected by XuanZang as
oblation. The Hall of XuanZang SanZang is north of Big Wild
Goose Pagoda. In this hall are Xuanzang's relic and a bronze
statue of a seated XuanZang. The inner wall is chiseled with
murals depicting this hierarch's story. Renowned as the
contemporary Dunhuang Buddhist storehouse praised by
UNESCO, it is the biggest memorial of XuanZang.
North Square of Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Surrounding Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the
scenery is also quite charming, especially the
square north of the Da Ci'en Temple. Covering
about 110,000 square meters (131563 square
yards) plus 20,000 square meters (23920.6
square yards) of water area, it holds many
records: in Asia, it is the biggest Tang-culture
square, the biggest fountain and waterscape
square, and the largest-scale sculptures area. In
the world, it has the most benches, the longest
light-belt, and the largest-scale acoustic complex.
The square
The entire square is composed of waterscape
fountains, a cultural square, gardens and tourist
paths. There you can taste real Chinese culture
and traditions and fully enjoy the truly attractive
views. With relieves on the theme of the
prosperous Tang Dynasty, 200-meter-long (656foot-long) sculpture groups, 8 groups of sculpted
figures, 40 relievos on the land, and 22 styles of
musical fountains, it has become a must-see
when you visit Big Wild Goose Pagoda.