The Small Wild Goose Pagoda is situated in Jianfu Temple in the south
of the Xi'an City.
Along with the Big Wild Goose Pagoda it was an important landmark
in Chang'an, capital of the Tang Dynasty.Its well-known "Morning
Bell Chimes" is regarded as one of the eight famous scenic features
in Shaanxi Province.
Jian Fu Temple was built in 684, in order to pay homage to the Tang
Emperor, Li Zhi, upon the centenary of his death. "Xianfu",
meaning the "temple of offering good fortune" was its original
name.The present name did not come into being until 698 A.D.
According to historical records, the monk YYijing set out by sea for
India in search of Buddhist principle in 671. He came back with some
four hundred volumes of holy Sanskirt scriptures after traveling over
thirty countries, for more than 20 years. the Small Wild Goose Pagoda
was built to house and protect these sutras. Then Yijing began the
task of translating them into Chinese, which records cultural exchanges
between China and India.
Small
Wild Goose Pagoda was built in 707AD, covering 15 stories with a height
of 45 meters. An earthquake in 1555 damaged and reduced it to 13storeys,
43 meters high. In 1965, the local government had it rebuilt according
to the original shape.
The shape and structure of the pagoda are typical of early multi-eave
pagodas and influenced many brick and stone rnulti-eave pagodas built
later in other parts of the country. The tower is like a plane square,
the whole figure tall and straight and beautiful. Doors on the north
and south sides of the first storey have frames built of black stone.
On its lintel and frame creep red flower grains and the map of sustentation
of God and Man (Tian ren gong yang tu) were carved finely, which reflecting
the artistic style of the early Tang Dynasty.
Behind the pagoda there is a small bell tower standing in the courtyard.
It houses a large bell measuring 4.5 meters high and weighing 10 tons.The
sound of the bell is crisp and pleasant, and can be heard as far as
five kilometers away. It was cast in 1192 with 16 lucky words engraved
on it.It is said that if one missed his beloved relations who are
living far away from him, he only needs to write down his family's
name and address on a label, and the sound of the Bell would pass
the message to them. Hence, the " Morning Bell Chimes of the
Pagoda" is one of the eight famous scenic features in the province.
In
the Small Wild Goose Pagoda, there are still more than 10 ancient
kiosks, platforms, buildings, pavilions halls and houses. Arranged
symmetrically and regularly, they are magnificent and solemn.
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