Eight Pagodas Mountain

Eight Pagodas Mountain

Eight Pagodas Mountain is a cultural heritage site protected by Liaoning Province.

Eight Pagodas Mountain is located in Batazi Village, Qianyang Township, south of Yixian County, Jinzhou City, on the banks of the Dalin River, about 10 kilometers from the county town. The eight pagodas are built on eight protruding peaks of a mountain that resembles a soaring dragon. Research indicates that the construction period of the Eight Pagodas aligns with that of Fengguo Temple. They were built by Emperor Shengzong of the Liao Dynasty to commemorate the eight stages of the Buddha’s life, making this the world’s only pagoda complex dedicated to the eight phases of the life of Sakyamuni Buddha.

To the south of Eight Pagodas Mountain lies a ravine, to the north a seasonal river, to the west a range of mountains, and to the east it is 1.5 kilometers from the Jin-Cheng Railway, and 10 kilometers northeast from the county town. Though the eight small pagodas are simply constructed and lack ornamentation, they vary in shape and size, arranged in a staggered and unique layout.

On the southern slope between the fourth and sixth pagodas, there used to be a three-room Hall of the Goddess, a one-room Hall of the Medicine King, and three rooms for monks, along with two stone steles and an iron bell. To the southeast of the seventh pagoda stood a three-room Sea-Viewing Temple, which housed a statue of Sakyamuni Buddha. Before the founding of the People’s Republic of China, an annual temple fair was held here on the 18th day of the fourth lunar month, drawing crowds of visitors and filling the riverbanks and foothills with carts and people. During the Liberation War, the monks fled, and after liberation, the site was left unmanaged, leading to the destruction or loss of most of the buildings, steles, and the bell.

In the summer of 1983, experts from the Liaoning Provincial Museum discovered the inscription “Buddha Attained Enlightenment Under the Bodhi Tree Pagoda” on the eastern side of the second pagoda during their investigation. This inscription matches the second pagoda’s entry in the “Liao Dynasty Eight Sacred Pagodas Inscriptions” carved on the pillars of the White Pagoda Temple in Xingcheng. Based on this inscription and the pagoda’s design, experts concluded that Eight Pagodas Mountain is the only architectural complex from the Liao Dynasty where eight standing pagodas were used to commemorate the eight stages of the life of Sakyamuni Buddha.

In 1988, Eight Pagodas Mountain was designated as a provincial-level cultural relics protection unit by the People's Government of Liaoning Province.

Attraction Location

Batazi Village, Yixian County, Jinzhou, Liaoning Province