Sanxue Temple in Chengdu

Chengdu·Sanxue Temple Originally built during the Sui Dynasty, rebuilt in the 27th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty, and renovated in the 22nd year of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty Located 6 kilometers east of Jintang County in Chengdu, on Sanxue Mountain, it is composed of the Fahai, Puji, and Guangji temples, together with the Qian'an Kaizhao Temple, collectively known as Sanxue Temple The 84,000 Pagodas, also known as the Shakyamuni Infinite Treasure Pagoda, consist of the pagoda base, small pagodas, and the top pagoda. The base has eight sides and seven layers, with the bottom layer being 6.8 meters long. Each layer above gradually tapers by 0.8 meters, with a height difference of 0.4 meters between layers. On top, there are small pagodas, with 48 on the bottom layer, decreasing sequentially upwards, with 40 on the second layer, 32 on the third, 24 on the fourth, 16 on the fifth, and 8 on the sixth, totaling 168 pagodas. On top of the seventh layer of the base, a top pagoda is built to oversee the whole structure. Each small pagoda is engraved with 500 smaller pagodas, totaling 84,000 pagodas The 84,000 Pagodas of Sanxue Temple were built by Zhu Yuanzhang's eleventh son, Zhu Chun, when he came to Sichuan to take up his fief, to pray for the nation's fortune. It is said that King Ashoka ruled over 84,000 countries, built 84,000 temples, and made 84,000 pagodas, hence the pagodas of Sanxue Temple are effectively modeled after King Ashoka's intention At the end of the Ming Dynasty and the early period of the founding of the PRC, the 84,000 Pagodas were severely damaged. In 2004, the cultural relics department carried out a comprehensive restoration The 84,000 Pagodas were built at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, with the pagoda record written by Zen Master Zuo Shanshi Dayout, the Japanese monk Dongsheng wrote the inscription in cinnabar and engraved the plaques, to record the construction process