Dasheng Pagoda

Dasheng Pagoda

Dasheng Pagoda is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Dasheng Pagoda is located southeast of the Mahavira Hall in Nengren Temple in Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province. Built during the Eastern Jin Dynasty, it is a brick-and-stone structure with six sides and seven stories, standing 42.3 meters tall, with the diagonal diameter of its base measuring 8.9 meters.

Nengren Temple is located in the city center of Jiujiang. The temple was first built during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty in the Southern Dynasties (502–549 AD), originally named Chengtian Monastery. After being burned down, it was rebuilt during the Tang Dynasty. In the second year of the Hongzhi era of the Ming Dynasty (1489 AD), it was expanded and renamed Nengren Temple. It has undergone multiple cycles of prosperity and decline, and most of the extant buildings were reconstructed in the ninth year of the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty (1870 AD). It is one of the three major monasteries in Jiujiang.

Dasheng Pagoda is located southeast of the Mahavira Hall in Nengren Temple. Originally built during the Eastern Jin Dynasty and later destroyed, it was reconstructed during the Dali period of the Tang Dynasty (766–779 AD) by Monk Baiyunduan, who built both the hall and the pagoda. Although the hall was destroyed during the military conflict in the 12th year of the Zhi Zheng era of the Yuan Dynasty (1352 AD), the pagoda remained intact. During the Xianfeng era of the Qing Dynasty (1851–1861 AD), it suffered damage from warfare, with three levels of the pagoda being destroyed. In the 11th year of the Tongzhi era (1872 AD), it was restored through donations solicited by Bai Jingfu, the customs officer of Jiujiang. The pagoda is a brick-and-stone structure, shaped like a hexagonal cone, with a total of seven stories and a height of 42.26 meters. The diagonal diameter of its base is 8.9 meters, and its entrance faces the southwest. Starting from the second level, each of the six sides has a door—three solid and three false. Inside the pagoda, there is a brick staircase that allows visitors to ascend in a spiral. The pagoda's exterior resembles a pavilion, appearing ancient and dignified, with a hexagonal spire at the top crowned by a bronze finial. On the left side of the base, there is an embedded stone stele inscribed with the “Record of the Reconstruction of the Dasheng Pagoda,” written by Bai Jingfu in the 11th year of the Tongzhi era.

The story of “Shisanmei Causes a Commotion at Nengren Temple” from the Qing Dynasty novel “The Gallant Maid of the Mountain” is based here. For over a thousand years, despite erosion by wind and rain, earthquakes, and other natural forces, Dasheng Pagoda still stands firmly without tilting, presenting a majestic sight from afar and nearby.

Further reading:

· Seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units