#小雁塔

[niteshade925]

April 11, Xi'an, China, Xi'an Museum/西安博物院 (Part 3, Jianfu Temple/荐福寺 and Small Wild Goose Pagoda/小雁塔):

Jianfu Temple was a Buddhist temple, originally built in 684 AD (Tang dynasty), it was dedicated to the then newly deceased Emperor Gaozong of Tang, and was an important center for translating Buddhist texts from India. It's home to the famous Small Wild Goose Pagoda. Today, the temple is part of Xi'an Museum.

Cherry blossoms (?) inside the temple. And a random bird:

The Mahavira Hall/大雄宝殿 (the main building of a Chinese Buddhist temple) of Jianfu Temple. The temple was rebuilt several times over its long history, and the current temple took shape in Ming and Qing dynasties. Note the Ming/Qing-era architecture style.

A quiet little side door in the temple flanked by bamboo:

The Small Wild Goose Pagoda. The pagoda was built in 707 - 709 AD (Tang dynasty), but was damaged by an earthquake in 1556, which caused the top level to be partially destroyed. Today it stands as a famous example of Tang-era architecture.

Two of the steles around the pagoda. The left one was erected in 1734 and records the origins and history of Jianfu Temple, while the right one was erected in 1690 and records how the pagoda was repaired in early Qing dynasty.