Dabei Temple Stone Pagoda

Dabei Temple Stone Pagoda

The Dabei Temple Stone Pagoda is a cultural relic protection unit of Pujiang County.

The Dabei Temple Stone Pagoda in Datang Town is located on Yulong Mountain by the northern bank of Linxi River, at Team 14 of Bajiaojing Village. Built during the Daoguang reign period, it is the stupa housing the relics of Guangyin Chan, the abbot of Dabei Temple. The pagoda stands 4.2 meters tall, with a rectangular base measuring 2 meters per side and 22 centimeters in height. Above it is a Sumeru pedestal, hexagonal in shape, with each side 98 centimeters long and 60 centimeters high, featuring carved lion heads at the corners.

The stone pagoda has a hexagonal spire and consists of three tiers, from top to bottom:

The first tier is 1.1 meters high, with six sides, each a square 34 centimeters per side, carved respectively with: 1. A cursive script character “Fu” (blessing). 2. The story from the Biographies of Exemplary Women about Tao Kan’s mother, Lady Zhan, cutting off her hair to trade for wine and food to entertain guest Fan Kui. 3. The Han Dynasty filial son Jiang Shi, whose spring gushed forth with leaping fish, with his wife Pang carrying a fish. 4. The Jin Dynasty filial son Yang Xiang, aged 14, who fought a tiger to save his father Yang Feng. 5. The Zhou Dynasty filial son Lao Lai, aged 70, entertaining his parents by playing a bamboo rattle and pretending to cry like a child. 6. The Han Dynasty Dong Yong, who sold himself with a straw sign in his hair to bury his father.

The second tier is 1.1 meters high, with each face 46 centimeters high and 42 centimeters wide, and the six sides carved respectively with: 1. A hollow-carved “Shou” (longevity) character in seal script. 2. The Han Dynasty filial son Guo Ju, who dug a grave for his son to provide for his mother, only for the gods to reward him with gold. 3. Zigong (Zilu), a disciple of Confucius and a filial son, who carried rice for his parents over a hundred li. 4. Wang Bao, a filial son of the Wei Kingdom, who wept before his mother’s tomb upon hearing thunder. 5. Wang Xiang of the Jin Dynasty, a filial son who lay on ice to catch carp for his stepmother. 6. Meng Zhong of the Wu Kingdom, a filial son whose crying made bamboo shoots sprout for his parents.

The third tier is 1.36 meters high, with each face 72 centimeters high and 58 centimeters wide, and features stone carvings. The six sides are carved respectively with: 1. The pagoda door, facing south, 1 meter high, 58 centimeters wide, and 41 centimeters thick. Originally, an underglaze blue jar was placed inside the pagoda to hold the cremated ashes of Abbot Guangyin. 2. Two elephants and two flags (symbolizing “peace with elephants”). 3. Two deer striking a bell (symbolizing “prosperity from official salary”). 4. Tieguai Li and Han Zhongli, two of the Eight Immortals. 5. Floral designs. 6. Peonies (symbolizing wealth and honor).

On December 8, 2005, the People’s Government of Pujiang County declared the Dabei Temple stone carvings a county-level cultural relic protection unit.