Small Wild Goose Pagoda
About the attraction
Location:It is located inside the Jianfu Temple, about 1 kilometer south to Xian city.
Construction Era: Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty
Ticket Price: About 40 yuan per person.
Opening Time: 8:00-17:00
A symbol of Chang’an
Once being the symbol of Chang’an (today’s Xi’an) together with the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda is an important Buddhism site dating back to the Tang Dynasty, about 1000 years old. (Xi’an was called “Chang’an” in ancient time when it was the capital.) As a delicate building relic of Tang Dynasty, Small Wild Goose Pagoda originally had a multi-eave and square brick structure with 15 stories, 45 meters high.
A place for translating Buddhism scripts
Small Wild Goose Pagoda was inside the Jianfu Temple, which was first built in honor of emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty after 100 days of his death. The famous pilgrim Yijing, a great Buddhism translator at that time once lived here to translate Buddhism scripts he brought back from Indian.
A Marvel “Self-revamping” Pagoda
Surprisingly, the Small Goose Pagoda experienced 3 times of cracking and “self-revamping” in history. The pagoda always revamped naturally during another earthquake. Finally, the secret was worked out. Actually, its natural revamping is the result of its special structure. Considering about the geologic structure of Xi’an, artisans built the base of the pagoda into a semicircle ball, so that the pressure of the pagoda can spread evenly. Therefore, the Small Goose Pagoda is like a Daruma and can stand still after more than 70 earthquakes. The consummate building skill of our country in ancient times is embodied amazingly.
More Info:
Yijing: a monk discover of ancient kingdom of Srivijaya