Dayao white tower

Dayao white tower

Dayao white pagoda is located at the top of Baoding mountain outside xichengmenwai, Dayao County, Yunnan Province. It was first built in 746 (Tianbao period of Tang Dynasty). This is the only one in Yunnan. It is an example of the early relic Pagoda in Yunnan and the first batch of provincial key cultural relics protection units.

In 2006, it was listed in the Sixth Batch of national key cultural relics protection units. The tower is 18.4 meters high, with a cone-shaped top and a contracted waist. It looks like a chime hammer from the top to the bottom, also known as the chime hammer tower. The tower is divided into three layers. The base exposed to the ground is octagonal xumizuo. The body of the tower is whitewashed with lime, so it is called white tower.

Basic introduction

Built in 746, the white tower is one of the buildings of Tang Dynasty. It is said that it was built by Tubo in Tianbao period of Tang Dynasty. The white pagoda has experienced several earthquakes in history and still stands safely. In 1982, the provincial government allocated funds to rebuild and restore the original appearance of the white tower. There is only one white pagoda in Yunnan, which is a physical example of the early relic Pagoda in Yunnan and the first batch of provincial key cultural relics protection units.

In 2006, it was listed in the Sixth Batch of national key cultural relics protection units.

Historical records

It is said that when the white tower was repaired in 1975, a square hole with a side length of 40 cm was found at the top of the tower. This may be the original hole where the tower brake was placed. The original octagonal column is 40000, with a hollowed out niche for each Buddha, which is filled for the reinforcement of the tower. It seems that in ancient times, this chime hammer pagoda had a temple top and a Buddhist niche on its body, which was well ventilated. The shape of the existing pagoda body is slightly different from that of ancient times. According to the investigation, the pagoda belongs to the Tibetan Lama pagoda, which is a relic of Tantric Buddhism spread in western Yunnan. During the construction of the pagoda, Sanskrit and Chinese character printing bricks were found on the top of the pagoda. Among them, the Chinese characters include: "Great Buddha top", "guanggujingguang mantra", "Shifang mantra for Buddha's Spirit Pagoda", etc. the predecessors also found the printing bricks of "Yuchi Jianzao". According to Daoguang's Dayao County annals, this tower is "said to have been built by Tubo in Tianbao period". Therefore, the chime hammer tower was built in the middle Tang Dynasty, which had a good relationship between Nanzhao and Tubo.

The shape of Dayao white pagoda is unique in Yunnan and has a long history. It is said that it was built by Tubo who entered central Yunnan in Tianbao period of Tang Dynasty, so it has irreplaceable value for the study of Tibetan Buddhism in Southwest China. The special structure of the pagoda shape has an internal isomorphic relationship with the original meaning of Tibetan Buddhism. It is said that the original top of the pagoda has a pagoda brake towering to the sky, which brings a certain mysterious color to the white pagoda. Unfortunately, the pagoda brake has been destroyed. The huge upper part of the tower is conical. Although it is smaller than the upper part, it has a heavy base. It is octagonal and made of green bricks. Each side of the octagonal base is 3.12 meters long. The surface of the tower is covered with 12 layers of dense eaves. Although the upper and lower parts of the tower are very strange, the surface is all painted with white lime, and its color makes people feel kind and natural. The name of "white tower" is also because of its white color.

In the vicinity of the White Pagoda, some scattered bricks were dug out from time to time. The bricks are quite old, and there are Chinese and Sanskrit characters printed with impressions. The Chinese characters are "Buddha top", "eight pagoda mantra", "ten Buddha pagoda mantra", "ten Buddha pagoda mantra", "pilfer Yigu pagoda mantra", "ziyigu Dharma mantra", "Azhong Buddha miebao mantra", etc "Yuchi supervised manufacturing" and other words. Sanskrit has the same meaning.

Dayao white tower stands alone under the blue sky and white clouds. It has been destroyed by numerous earthquakes and wars. It still stands safely and is not affected by the destructive force from nature and the world. In 1504, the 17th year of Hongzhi in Ming Dynasty, and 1636, the ninth year of Chongzhen in Ming Dynasty, two large earthquakes occurred in Dayao, which slightly affected the top of the pagoda and split it more than 3 feet. All the local sages and some officials of the past dynasties have made great contributions to the renovation of the white pagoda. In 1872, the magistrate of Dayao County repaired the White Pagoda greatly, adding new bricks to the base of the pagoda, and leaving the words "rehabilitation of Dayao County in the year of Tongzhi Renshen".

Cultural relics protection

On May 25, 2006, Dayao White Pagoda, as an ancient building of the Tang Dynasty, was approved by the State Council to be listed in the Sixth Batch of national key cultural relics protection units.

Address: Wenbi peak outside Xicheng gate, Dayao County, Chuxiong Prefecture

Longitude: 101.31909179688

Latitude: 25.727848052979

Ticket information: market price: 2.0 yuan

Chinese PinYin : Da Yao Bai Ta