Three Pagodas Of Dali |
Travel in Yunnan | |||
Between Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake (ěr hǎi 洱海), the Three Pagodas stand like the legs of a huge tripod. Qianxun Pagoda (qiān xún tǎ 千寻塔), the main one, is square-shaped with closed eaves similar to Small Wild Goose Pagoda (xiǎo yàn tǎ 小雁塔) in Xi'an (xī 'ān 西安). It has 16 tiers with a total height of 69.13 metres, and is in a typical architectural style of the Tang Dynasty (táng cháo 唐朝). At the basement of the pagoda are engraved four Chinese Characters "YONG ZHEN SHAN CHUAN" (meaning everlasting sovereignty and peace) in the handwriting of Mu Shijie (mù shì jiē 沐世阶), grandson of Mu Ying (mù yīng 沐英), the Senior Duke of Qian (qián guó gōng 黔国公) of the Ming Dynasty (míng cháo 明朝). It was first built in the era of Fengyou Emperor of Nanzhao Kingdoms (nán zhào guó 南诏国) about the same time of the Tang Dynasty. On the south and north sides of the main pagoda stand two smaller ones of octagonal shape with dosed eaves. Each one has 10 tiers with a height of 43 metres. On the top of each pagoda, there are three copper-made calabashes, each connected with an umbrella shaped bronze bell. They were constructed during the period of the Five Dynasty (wǔ dài 五代) (907-906), slightly later than the main one. The cover of Qianxun Pagoda is white-washed. On each story, there are four shines. There are Buddhist sculpture on the east and west shrines. The other two shrines are the windows for the pagoda. There are wood beams inside the pagoda. Along stairs inside, one can reach the top. There are four corners on the summit. Each corner hangs a golden wing bird cast by copper. Legend has it that these birds have spell on the demons in Erhai Lake. On the summit of the pagoda, there are also metal pagoda top, pagoda cover, pagoda peak and a golden cock. On the base of the pagoda, there is a epigraph: The Ruler of Mountains and Rivers. There are pillars at very corner and platform on each story. On the fourth and sixth floor, there are embossed, and golden were there, so splendid. To get to the Three Pagoda
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