Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Monastery



The old town of Dali is famous for numbers of pagodas. Among the pagodas, the ChongShen
Monastery & Three Pagodas are the most famous and magnificent. They are an ensemble of three
independent pagodas arranged on the corners of a symmetric triangle, near the town of Dali,
Yunnan province.

The Three Pagodas are one kilometer away from north of Dali, at the east foot of the tenth peak of
the massive Cangshan Mountains and face the west shore of the Erhai Lake of the ancient Dali
town. If you look at it from distance, the three yellowish-brawn pagodas are like three huge pens,
standing among the continuous green mountains and emerald fields.

The main pagoda, "Qianxun Pagoda", is square and stands 69.13 meters high. Its molding and
style were imitated in the Small Wild Goose Pagoda in Xian, Shanxi Province, and the Song Yue Monastery Pagoda in Henan Province. Each level
contains a white marble Buddha statue, typical of pagodas in built in the Tang Dynasty.

On either side of the main pagoda, there are two other pagodas which are similar in style but are octagonal and have ten layers. These pagodas
were built after the Qianxun Pagoda and were designed to be white in color.  On the top of these two pagodas, there are three copper gourds and
copper bells that resemble an umbrella on the roof.  

After those three pagodas were completed over 1,000 years ago, they have gone through many hardships,
including several strong earthquakes. The Chongsheng Monastery nearby was completely destroyed, but the
Three Pagodas have remained for hundreds of years.

In Chinese history, Dali holds a very important and sacred place among Buddhists. When the government of
Yunnan Province repaired the pagoda's base and body in 1979, they found more than 600 precious cultural relics
of the Dang and Song Dynasty such as scripture manuscripts, statues of the Buddha and Buddhist utensils.  

If you come to Dali, you must come to the Chongsheng Monastery & Three Pagodas. It is worth appreciating the
beautiful scenery and Buddhist cultural relics.