The Dust-Free Pagoda

The Dust-Free Pagoda

The Dust-Free Pagoda is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Jiuzuo Temple (originally named Taiping Monastery) is located in Fengding Village, Fengshan Township, about 40 kilometers northwest of Xianyou County. It was first built in the sixth year of the Xiantong era (865 AD) during the reign of Emperor Yizong of the Tang Dynasty, initiated by Zen Master Zhengjue (monastic name Zhiguang), and has a history of over 1,100 years.

The Dust-Free Pagoda is located to the west of Jiuzuo Temple. Built in the sixth year of the Tang Xiantong era (865 AD), it served as the cremation pagoda for monks of the temple over the generations. With a history of over 1,100 years, it is a national-level cultural relics protection unit.

According to records, the temple complex originally consisted of nine interconnected halls, with a grand scale covering an area of 15,000 square meters. At its peak, it housed over 500 monks and was the largest Zen monastery in Xianyou during the Tang Dynasty. It is said that Cai Xiang, a scholar-official of the Song Dynasty’s Duanming Hall, once visited the site to admire the scenery and personally inscribed the three characters “Taiping Monastery.” Famous figures of the Song Dynasty, Yu Xiang and Liu Houcun, also composed poems here.

Today, only the Mahavira Hall, Patriarch Hall, monastic quarters, dining hall, and the Liberation Pond remain at Jiuzuo Temple. The Mahavira Hall houses six pairs of large stone pillars, each 9.40 meters high and 60 centimeters in diameter. A pair of pagoda-like sutra pillars in the temple are believed to have been built during the Five Dynasties period. To the east of the temple are the nun’s relic pagoda and the “Silver Vat”; to the west are the Dust-Free Pagoda and the “Rice Vat”; to the south are the relic pagoda and the “Wine Vat”; and to the north lies the Dragon Pool and other historic sites.

The Nine Peaks Mountain in Fengshan Township features a mountain formation resembling a phoenix in flight. Jiuzuo Temple is built on the crown of the male phoenix, while the Dust-Free Pagoda stands on the crown of the female phoenix, with the two sites about 400 meters apart.

The Dust-Free Pagoda is located to the west of Jiuzuo Temple. Built in the sixth year of the Tang Xiantong era (865 AD), it served as the cremation pagoda for monks of the temple over the generations and has a history of over 1,100 years. It was bestowed the name “Dust-Free Pagoda” during the Chongning era of the Song Dynasty.

The pagoda is a three-story stone structure, octagonal and hollow, standing 14.22 meters tall with an inner diameter of 4.45 meters. Its spire is shaped like a lotus-seeded gourd. The base features carved lotus stones, and the corner pillars on each level are melon-shaped. The lower part of the ground floor has relief carvings on all eight sides, depicting galloping dragons and dancing lions. There are entrances on the north and south sides, with guardian figure reliefs on the southeast and southwest sides. Inside the pagoda, a spiral stone staircase winds upward. In front of the pagoda is a moon terrace, which differs significantly from the design of stone pagodas built in later Song Dynasty periods. It is one of the most unique stone pagodas among the rare Tang Dynasty pagodas in the province.

Fengding Village: Fengding Village is located in the northwest of Xianyou County, at the source of the Jiuxian Stream, at the foot of the beautiful Fengguan Mountain, 43 kilometers from the county seat. It borders Fengshan Village to the east, Dehua County to the west, connects to Dehua County and Fengshan Village to the north, and neighbors Guangqiao and Qianyang Villages to the south, 12.5 kilometers from the township government.

[Village and Residents] The village covers an area of more than 12 square kilometers, with a total population of over 1,218 people, comprising more than 296 households, and includes seven villager groups.

[Village Atmosphere and Scenery] The spring breeze of new rural construction has brought tremendous changes to Fengding Village. The rural economy has developed rapidly, and the lives of farmers have... Detailed information about Fengding Village++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units