Big Wild Goose Pagoda is located within the Great Ci 'en Temple in the southern part of the city. Great Ci 'en Temple is a magnificent royal temple located in Chang'an City during the Tang Dynasty. It was built during the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty and was built by Crown Prince Li Zhi to commemorate his mother, Empress Wende. The temple was first presided over by Master Xuanzang, who returned from his journey to the west to collect Buddhist scriptures. During this period, the mage supervised the construction of the Wild Goose Pagoda.
Master Xuanzang translated Buddhist scriptures and promoted Buddhism at Great Ci'en Temple for 11 years, and founded the "Xiang Wei Shi Sect" of Buddhism, making Great Ci'en Temple the ancestral home of the Wei Shi Sect (also known as the "Fa Xiang Sect"). During this period, in order to worship the scriptures and relics brought back from India, the monk personally supervised the construction of the Wild Goose Pagoda.
The current Great Ci'en Temple was built in the Ming Dynasty on the basis of the original temple "Xita Yuan", and the existing halls are mostly Qing Dynasty buildings. The main buildings on the central axis of the temple are the Shakya ManiHall, Dharma Hall, Big Wild Goose Pagoda and Xuanzang Sanzang Temple. Among them, the Buddhist relics enshrined in the Wild Goose Pagoda and the Tripitaka of Xuanzang, as well as the parietal bones of Master Xuanzang, are the "treasures of the Great Ci'en Temple".
To the east of the central axis of the temple is the Pagoda Garden, where there are nine pagodas dedicated to the relics of nine high-ranking monks since the Qing Dynasty.
There are squares to the south and north of Great Ci'en Temple. There are also attractions such as Shaanxi Museum and Datang Furong Garden in the surrounding area.
Travel Tips
Address: Yanta Road, Yanta District, Xi'an City
Phone: 029-85518039029-85535014
Opening hours: 08:001-17:30
Ticket: CNY50