Five Pagoda Temple

Wuta temple is located in Xizhimenwai, Haidian District, Beijing. It was built in 1473, the ninth year of Chenghua in Ming Dynasty, and is named Zhenjue temple. Qianlong 26 years (1761) overhaul, for taboo, renamed great Zhengjue temple. Because there are pagodas in the temple, it is commonly known as the five pagodas temple.

Five Pagoda Temple

King Kong throne tower of Zhenjue temple. Wuta temple, formerly known as "Zhenjue temple", is located on the North Bank of Changhe River to the east of Baishiqiao outside Xizhimen, Haidian District, Beijing. It was founded in the Yongle period of Ming Dynasty (1403-1424). There are five small stone pagodas on the high stone platform in the temple. The Vajra throne pagoda of Wuta temple is a Buddhist pagoda in the form of Indian Buddha's JIAYE jingshe (the memorial pagoda built by JIAYE mountain temple where Sakyamuni is located). Among the more than ten similar pagodas in China, the Vajra throne pagoda of Wuta temple is the earliest and most beautiful. It can be regarded as the representative work of architecture and stone carving art in Ming Dynasty and a model of the combination of Chinese and foreign cultures.

history

It was built in the ninth year of Chenghua (1473) of the Ming Dynasty, and is called "King Kong throne tower of Zhenjue temple". According to historical records, in the early years of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty, bandida, an Indian monk, came to Beijing from the western regions and presented five golden Buddhas and the Indian style "Buddha gayata", which is the King Kong throne, to Zhu Di, the founder of the Ming Dynasty. Chengzu of Ming Dynasty was very opportunistic when he talked with him about scriptures and Dharma. He was granted the title of great national teacher, the gold seal, and the land to build a temple on the North Bank of Changhe River (now Gaoliang River) outside Xiguan (now Xizhimen). The temple was named "Zhenjue". Later, according to the rules provided by the eminent monk, the King Kong throne tower was built, and the temple was rebuilt. After the completion of the five Pagoda Temple, it faces the Changhe River in front of it and leans on the west mountain on the back. It became a place for the scholars in the capital city to climb on the Double Ninth Festival and go for a Qingming outing.

After the establishment of the Qing Dynasty, Qianlong rebuilt the five Pagoda Temple twice to celebrate his mother's birthday. After the first renovation in the 16th year of Emperor Qianlong, it was renamed "dazhengjue Temple" to avoid the name "Yinzhen" of Yongzheng emperor. In the 26th year of Qianlong reign, the Empress Dowager's 70th birthday was celebrated. As one of the main places to celebrate her birthday, the five pagoda temple was fully renovated and 1000 Lamas were invited to chant sutras. Envoys from all over the world paid tribute to the Empress Dowager. Ministers with red crested plumes rushed in front of the hall and behind the pagoda At that time, the bustling scene was drawn in a color picture. The picture reproduces the whole picture of Wuta temple in that year: facing Changhe in the south, there are more than 200 side rooms in the north-south axis, such as archway, Mountain Gate, Tianwang hall, Daxiong hall, Vajra throne, Pilu hall, Houda hall, and so on. The roofs of the main buildings in the temple are all covered with yellow glazed tiles, which are shining and resplendent in the sunshine, showing the majesty of the royal temple.

Since the late Qing Dynasty, the five Pagoda Temple gradually declined. In the early Republic of China, only one pagoda stood in the rubble. Due to unattended, the bronze gilt pagoda brake of the pagoda was stolen many times. In 1937-1938, the Beiping municipal government made some simple repairs to the Wuta temple, adding the courtyard wall, the gate tower and six South rooms on both sides of the gate tower. The courtyard covers an area of 30 mu. Fortunately, two white fruit trees of the same age as the pagoda survived. They are so lush and fruity.

style of art

The Vajra throne pagoda of Wuta temple is a pagoda in the form of Indian Buddha's gyaya jingshe (the memorial tower built by gyaya mountain temple where Sakyamuni got his way). Among the more than ten similar pagodas in China, the Vajra throne pagoda of Wuta temple is the earliest and most beautiful. It can be regarded as the representative work of architecture and stone carving art in Ming Dynasty and a model of the combination of Chinese and foreign cultures.

The building materials used for the pagoda of Vajra throne in Wuta temple are brick and bluestone, with brick inside and stone outside. Its architectural shape can be divided into two parts: the lower throne and the upper five towers. The throne is 7.70 meters high and is built on a platform about 50 cm high. At the bottom of the throne is xumizuo, which is 1.78 meters high. From bottom to top, it is divided into several parts, such as Guijiao, Xiafang, Shuyao, Yanglian, Shangfang, and so on. The outer surface is engraved with Sanskrit, Buddha statues, Dharma vessels and other patterns. Besides Buddhist scriptures, Sanskrit also records the deeds of building the pagoda. The top of xumizuo is divided into five layers. Each layer is carved with short stone eaves. The eaves are carved into rafters, full heads and dripping water. Around each layer are carved niches, in which there is a sitting Buddha. There are vase shaped pillars carved between niches and at the corner, and the capitals are carved with a bucket of three rising bucket arches to support Fang, purlin and short eaves. The decorative materials of the throne shape are blue and white stones. The plane of the throne is rectangular, 18.60 meters long from north to South and 15.73 meters wide from east to west. There are square pylons on the north and south facades. There are small niches on the southeast, northwest and four sides of the pylons. The original Buddha statues in the niches have long been lost. On both sides of the South Gate of the throne, there are 44 steps of winding stairs that can pass through the pavilion on the top of the throne. The top of the throne is about half a meter higher than the foundation, and the throne is about 15 times higher than the platform, giving people a sense of stability, height and solemnity.

The platform on the top of the throne is surrounded by stone barriers, and there are pavilions in the East and the West. The pavilions are made of glazed tiles and imitated wood. The north and the south of the pavilions are opened with one door to the table. The five towers are built on the top of the throne. There is a big tower in the center and a small tower in each corner. The five pagodas are of dense eaves, all of which are made of bluestone. The central tower is about eight meters high. On the lower floor is xumizuo, on which there are 13 layers of dense eaves. On the next turn of each layer of dense eaves are carved small niches and Buddha statues. The top of the pagoda is crowned with Yanglian, Xianglun and Huagai beads to form a copper pagoda brake. A pair of Buddhist footprints are engraved in the middle of the south side of the tower, which is the symbol of the Buddha and has the meaning of "Buddhist footprints all over the world". It is said that before the death of Buddha, he left his footprints on a stone in the state of mogatuo, and later generations carved Buddha feet to show their respect. There are more than ten Buddhist footprints in China, only one in Beijing. Beside the footprints of the Buddha are carved patterns of lotus and eight treasures. It is said that the five golden Buddhas brought by Indian eminent monks are hidden in this tower. The small four corner pagoda is similar to the big one, but its height is about one meter low. The eaves of the pagoda are eleven stories, and the Tasha is made of stone. The five towers and other buildings standing on the high pagoda give people the feeling of towering, scattered and well-organized.

In Buddhism, the throne and the five pagodas have their own origins. According to the Sutra, Vajra has five directions and five realms: Buddha (middle), Vajra (East), treasure (South), lotus (West), and karma (North). Each of them has five main Buddhas: the middle one is the Buddha of viluzana, the east one is the Buddha of ahan, the south one is the Buddha of Baosheng, the west one is the Buddha of Amitabha, and the north one is the Buddha of Bukong. The Buddha also has five seats, namely animal mounts: the lion throne, the elephant throne, the horse throne, the peacock throne, and the golden winged bird throne. Therefore, there are five kinds of animal sculptures around the King Kong pagoda throne and Xumi throne of the five pagodas, including the lion, the elephant, the horse, the peacock, and the golden winged bird king. During the invasion of China by the Allied forces of the eight powers, the five Pagoda Temple disappeared, and only the diamond throne tower survived.

The Vajra throne tower of Wuta temple is the crystallization of Buddhist art. On the throne and Xumi seat of the five pagodas are the footprints, statues, five Buddha throne, eight treasures of Vajra pestle, bodhi tree, Falun, vase, heavenly king, arhat, Sanskrit, rolled grass, etc. Most of these contents belong to the subject of Tibetan Buddhism, which is of great reference value to the study of Buddhism. Although the Vajra throne tower is based on India's "Buddha Gaye tower", it is still a fusion of China's traditional architecture and sculpture art, which is a demonstration of cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries. It is precisely because of its special value in history, art and science that Wuta temple's King Kong pagoda has been listed as one of the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units.

present situation

After 1949, the government attached great importance to this ancient and exquisite Buddhist building and repaired it many times. Especially when the 1976 Tangshan earthquake affected Beijing and caused the foundation of the pagoda to sink and the rear part to crack, the government repaired the pagoda comprehensively in 1979 and officially opened it to the public in October 1982. The temple also opened a "Diamond throne tower information exhibition room" and "Chinese ancient pagoda picture exhibition room" for visitors to watch and study. This is the site of Beijing stone carving art museum.

Address: East of Beijing Library, western suburb, Haidian District, Beijing

Longitude: 116.33035043055

Latitude: 39.944917508026

Tel: 010-62173543

Chinese PinYin : Wu Ta Si