The old town of Dali is famous for its pagodas. However, Chongsheng Monastery & Three Pagodas are by far the most well-known and magnificent. Originally, the Chongsheng Monastery was built to be near the Dali Three Pagodas, so people call them "Chongsheng Monastery & Three Pagodas".
The Three Pagodas are one kilometer away from north of Dali. If you look at it from a distance, the pagodas are like three giant huge ballpoint pens breaking up the landscape of the never-ending mountains and emerald fields of Yunnan.
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.
