Two pagodas at baisikou

About 50 kilometers northwest of Yinchuan City, there is a pair of ancient pagodas in baisikou on the east foot of Helan Mountain. They are like two twin brothers guarding on both sides of the mountain pass, which is very tall and straight. Baisikou twin towers are located in the west of Helan county. From Yinchuan, take a bus along the mountain road to the northwest, about half an hour to reach. The two pagodas stand on a square platform in front of a purple peak on the left side of the ditch. The two towers are 100 meters apart from each other, like a couple, affectionate and inseparable. With respect, people give them many beautiful names: "Xiangwang tower", "couple tower", "Shanshen tower", "Haishen tower" and "Feilai tower".

The two pagodas at baisikou are a pair of brick pagodas. The pagoda on the east side of the mountain pass is called the East pagoda. It is a regular octagonal building with 13 stories high. Under the eaves of each tower, there are various animal head reliefs on each side. The West pagoda is also 13 stories high. It is thicker than the East pagoda and has a parabolic shape. Sanskrit, Xixia inscriptions and silver coins of the Yuan Dynasty have been found.

Two pagodas at baisikou

Baisikou twin pagodas, a national key cultural relic protection unit, is the most complete Xixia pagoda preserved so far. It has a history of nearly 1000 years. It is a rare art treasure in the history of Chinese pagoda architecture. It has a high historical and cultural value, research value and ornamental value of Xixia archaeology, architecture and Buddhism.

The two pagodas at baisikou are a pair of brick pagodas. The pagoda on the east side of the mountain pass is called the East pagoda. It is a regular octagonal building with 13 stories high. Under the eaves of each tower, there are various animal heads on each side. The West pagoda is also 13 stories high. It is thicker than the East pagoda and has a parabolic shape. Sanskrit, Xixia inscriptions and silver coins of the Yuan Dynasty have been found. "Auspicious all over the mouth and this preface" unearthed here is the world's earliest wood movable type printed edition, which plays an important role in dating the invention time of Chinese printing.

geographical position

About 50 kilometers northwest of Yinchuan City, there is a pair of ancient pagodas at baisikou on the east foot of Helan Mountain. They are like two twin brothers guarding on both sides of the mountain pass, which is very tall and straight.

Baisikou twin towers are located in the west of Helan county. Take a bus from Yinchuan to the northwest along the mountain road, about 30 minutes to get there. The two pagodas stand on a square platform in front of a purple peak on the left side of the ditch.

The two towers are 100 meters apart from each other, like a couple, affectionate and inseparable. With respect, people give them many beautiful names: "Xiangwang tower", "couple tower", "Shanshen tower", "Haishen tower" and "Feilai tower".

The origin of history

Baisikou, formerly known as "baisikou", was named after more than 100 temples.

There is no written record of the construction time of the two pagodas at baisikou, but according to the large number of glass fragments scattered around the two pagodas and the records of Ningxia local chronicles, it can be determined that there was a Buddhist temple built here in the Xixia period. These two pagodas can be basically determined to be built at the same time as the Buddhist temple, and they are also the group of the palace building of Li Yuanhao, the Wulie emperor of Xixia In part. Since then, the temple buildings around the twin towers have been destroyed in the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty.

In the new Annals of Wanli Shuofang of Ming Dynasty, the twin towers are important local landmarks. In the fourth year of Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty, there was an earthquake with a magnitude of 8 on the Richter scale in Ningxia, but the twin towers were not knocked down. The specific damage situation is unknown.

Carry out the repair

In 1986, the Ningxia cultural relics department organized the renovation of the twin towers. During the renovation, the archaeologists found that many statues and brick structures of the pagoda did not conform to the style of the Xixia period. According to the situation of other repaired pagodas around, the pagoda had been repaired many times in the Yuan Dynasty and Ming Dynasty, and the pagoda was basically no longer the original object built in the early Xixia period. In addition, Xixia and Sanskrit inscriptions were found on the central pillars of the top of the two towers. After carbon 14 determination, it was confirmed that the central pillars were made in the late Xixia.

Cultural relics protection

In 1988, the two pagodas in baisikou were listed as the national key cultural relics protection units.

Folklore

It is said that a long time ago, there was a year of war and chaos. The mountain springs dried up and the people were in dire straits. One night, Lao Zeng in the temple in front of Zishi mountain heard someone talking in midair.

"You can't stay here long.". When the old monk came out of the temple to watch, he saw two graceful pagodas flying to the East and west of the temple about 50 steps away. Lao Hexiao thought that he could not endure loneliness for a long time. He only had the bell as his companion. If only he had these two towers to accompany him! They must not be allowed to fly away again. So the old monk had a plan. He set fire to the East Tower and left the West Tower. Hence the name "Feilai" temple worship twin towers. Since then, the weather here has been smooth, the grain has been plentiful, and the livestock has been prosperous.

Buddhism prevails

According to textual research, Buddhism prevailed in the Western Xia Dynasty. Li Yuanhao, the founding emperor, believed in Buddhism. "He knew Buddhist books and scriptures when he was young." he built a Buddhist temple at the entrance of the temple in Helan Mountain. The temple was large-scale and built two pagodas along with the temple. In the past thousand years, after several renovations, it has been protected by the masses, and the beautiful appearance of the twin towers has not changed. The East Tower is 39 meters high, and the West Tower is 41 meters high. Each layer of the tower is decorated with various colored glazed tiles. The lotus petal brake seat on the top of the tower supports the 13 layer phase wheel as the tower brake.

Under the eaves of each tower, a shallow Buddhist niche is built in the middle, in which there is a brick Buddha statue.

On both sides of the niche are decorated with a round brick beast head with a diameter of 30 cm, with beads in the mouth, which is rare. The two towers have their own characteristics. The East Tower is 13 storeys tall, and the distance between the eaves of the above storeys is shortened in turn except the first one.

It presents the remarkable characteristics of dense eaves. The tower room is round with a diameter of 3 meters. There is a ticket door 50 cm wide and 2 meters high on the south side of the tower. The murals on the front wall of the tower room are lifelike. The first floor of the tower is 3 meters high and is equipped with a round wooden loft.

Features of scenic spots

The two pagodas of the temple is a part of the palace building of Li Yuanhao, the king of the Western Xia Dynasty. There were many temples in the temple, and the magnificent palaces were crisscross and resplendent. It added infinite charm to the magnificent and ancient temple.

Today, the two pagodas at baisikou, an outstanding building full of the wisdom of the working people, has become an important relic of the study of Xixia history, and also a scenic spot worthy of tourists.

Baisikou is one of the famous mountain passes in Helan Mountain. The mountain is big and the valley is deep. The environment is quiet. It opens to the East and has a wide field of vision. There are a large number of architectural sites on the gentle slope of the pass. According to textual research, this was the site of Xixia Buddha Temple. The twin towers were built on the platform of the temple site to the north of the gully. The two towers are facing each other from east to west, about 100 meters apart. They are brick towers with 13 storeys on eight sides. The two towers rise straight from the ground without foundation, and the bottom layer is high without decoration. The south gate is opened to enter the thick walled hollow cylindrical tower room.

Structural layout

East Tower

The total height of the East Tower is about 39 meters, and the body of the tower is a cone. Each layer is made up of overlapped angular teeth and overlapped bricks, and the waist eaves are overhanging. The octagonal flat seat is built on the top of the tower. In the middle of the flat seat is a circular brake seat, which bears the "thirteen days" treasure brake. More than two layers, each layer and each side are pasted with two painted animal faces, juxtaposed left and right, eyes wide open, tusks exposed, very powerful. The animal's face and mouth are painted with red beads. Between the animal faces, there is a pattern of clouds supporting the sun and the moon. The corner of the tower wall is decorated with colored plastic beads.

West Tower

The total height of the West Tower is about 41 meters, and the proportion of the tower body is coordinated, which is thicker than the East Tower. Above the second floor, the waist eaves are composed of a number of layers of astringent corner teeth and astringent bricks. The waist is built into a flat seat, and the outer eaves are decorated with round animal head components.

On the top of the tower is an octagonal brake seat. Under the eaves of the brake seat, it is decorated with side-by-side painted lotus petals. At the corner, it is decorated with brick carving Lishen. Lishen is naked and upright, holding the lotus seat in hand, which is lifelike. The brake seat bears the "thirteen days" treasure brake. On the second floor, there are painted Buddha statues and decorative patterns under each waist eaves. The center of each layer wall is set with a rectangular shallow Buddhist niche, in which there are painted animals and Babao patterns. On both sides of the niche are painted animal faces with seven tassels.

It is in the shape of an octagon and is covered with the wall. The animal's face is angry, its eyes are wide open, its tusks are exposed, and it is fierce and terrifying. At the corner of the tower wall, there are colored plastic patterns of Pearl flame and cloud supporting the sun and moon. These statues and decorative patterns are all over the whole tower. Among the numerous statues, there are arhat in a robe, an old man leaning on a stick and a strong man with a natural look.

They wear wreaths on their necks, wear long belts around their waists, and use law enforcement instruments. Some stretch their arms, while others jump freely, with different expressions, full of strong life atmosphere and strong religious color. There is Xixia script on the upper right side of the 12th floor niche on the east side of the West Tower. On the flat seat to the east of the tenth floor, a complete green glazed animal is placed. There is a six edged wooden central brake pillar on the top of the pagoda, with a diameter of about 30 cm. There are inscriptions in Xixia and Sanskrit on the brake pillar.

The two pagoda architecture combines the traditional characteristics of the Central Plains pagoda, and combines painting and carving art to form two magnificent and colorful art treasures.

In 1986, due to the serious aging of some building components of the tower, the cultural relics department of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region carried out a large-scale repair of the two towers, which lasted from April to October of that year. In 2003, in order to protect the temple, including the double pagoda week

Chinese PinYin : Bai Si Kou Shuang Ta