Bodhi Vajra Pagoda

Bodhi Vajra Pagoda

The Bodhi Vajra Pagoda is a Chongqing Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Bodhi Vajra Pagoda is located at No. 6, Jingangta Alley, Guanyinyan, Yuzhong District, and was built in 1930.

Situated on Qixinggang outside Tongyuanmen, the Bodhi Vajra Pagoda was constructed to suppress evil and calm souls. It is the only Buddhist stupa on the Chinese mainland that was personally presided over by Tibetan — lamas during its construction. Speaking of the Bodhi Vajra Pagoda, there is also a local legend from Chongqing associated with it.

Legend has it that during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, when Zhang Xianzhong attacked Tongyuanmen, the bodies of those killed were discarded on Qixinggang outside the gate. In the late 1920s, during urban expansion construction, numerous human bones were unearthed at Qixinggang. To appease public sentiment, this "pagoda to help the dead find peace and bring tranquility to the living" was built.

With its unique architectural style blending Han, Tibetan, Chinese, and Western elements, along with the many Tibetan inscriptions on the pagoda, the Bodhi Vajra Pagoda is particularly mysterious. As a result, it has even become a legendary hidden treasure site in the writings of novelists.

This is a statue of Guanyin enshrined by local people beneath the pagoda. Due to the continuous legends surrounding the Bodhi Vajra Pagoda, residents in the area often place their own Guanyin statues under the pagoda to seek blessings.

In 2000, the Bodhi Vajra Pagoda was announced by the Chongqing Municipal People’s Government as one of the first batch of Chongqing Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Units.