THE THREE PAGODAS, Dali, Yunnan, China (I)
As its name implies, the Three Pagodas comprise three independent pagodas forming a symmetric triangle. The elegant, balanced and stately style is unique in China’s ancient Buddhist architectures, which makes it a must-see in the tour of Dali. The Three Pagodas, visible from miles away, has been a landmark of Dali City and selected as a national treasure meriting preservation in China. The Three Pagodas are made of brick and covered with white mud.
The main pagoda, known as Qianxun Pagoda (pinyin Qian Xun Ta), reportedly built during 824-840 AD by king Quan Fengyou (劝丰佑) of the Nanzhao state, is 69.6 meters (227 feet) high and is one of the tallest pagodas in China’s history.[1] The central pagoda is square shaped and composed of sixteen stories; each story has multiple tiers of upturned eaves.
During repairs in 1979, three copper plates were found at the bottom of the steeple which recorded the exact years of previous repairs, those being 1000, 1142, and 1145.[
The other two sibling pagodas, built about one hundred years later, stand to the northwest and southwest of Qianxun Pagoda. They are 42.19 meters (140 feet) high. Different from Qianxun Pagoda, they are solid and octagonal with ten stories.
The most recent record of severe earthquake in the Dali area occurred in 1925. Only one in a hundred of the buildings in Dali survived, but the Three Pagodas were undamaged.
THE THREE PAGODAS, Dali, Yunnan, China (I)
As its name implies, the Three Pagodas comprise three independent pagodas forming a symmetric triangle. The elegant, balanced and stately style is unique in China’s ancient Buddhist architectures, which makes it a must-see in the tour of Dali. The Three Pagodas, visible from miles away, has been a landmark of Dali City and selected as a national treasure meriting preservation in China. The Three Pagodas are made of brick and covered with white mud.
The main pagoda, known as Qianxun Pagoda (pinyin Qian Xun Ta), reportedly built during 824-840 AD by king Quan Fengyou (劝丰佑) of the Nanzhao state, is 69.6 meters (227 feet) high and is one of the tallest pagodas in China’s history.[1] The central pagoda is square shaped and composed of sixteen stories; each story has multiple tiers of upturned eaves.
During repairs in 1979, three copper plates were found at the bottom of the steeple which recorded the exact years of previous repairs, those being 1000, 1142, and 1145.[
The other two sibling pagodas, built about one hundred years later, stand to the northwest and southwest of Qianxun Pagoda. They are 42.19 meters (140 feet) high. Different from Qianxun Pagoda, they are solid and octagonal with ten stories.
The most recent record of severe earthquake in the Dali area occurred in 1925. Only one in a hundred of the buildings in Dali survived, but the Three Pagodas were undamaged.