Giant Wild Goose Pagoda

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Giant Wild Goose Pagoda
Official nameR06–CN Great Wild Goose Pagoda
LocationXi'an, Yanta District, Shaanxi, China
Part ofSilk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor
CriteriaCultural: (ii), (iii), (v), (vi)
Reference1442
Inscription2014 (38th Session)
Coordinates34°13′11″N 108°57′34″E / 34.219842°N 108.959354°E / 34.219842; 108.959354
Giant Wild Goose Pagoda is located in China
Giant Wild Goose Pagoda
Location of Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in China
Giant Wild Goose Pagoda
"Large Wild Goose Pagoda" in Chinese characters
Chinese大雁塔
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinDàyàn tǎ
IPA[tâ jɛ̂n tʰà]
Wu
SuzhouneseDâ-iě thaeh
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationDaaih-ngaahn taap
JyutpingDaai6-ngaan6 taap3
IPA[taj˨ ŋan˨ tʰap̚˧]
Southern Min
Tâi-lôTuā-gān thah
Statue of Xuanzang in front of Giant Wild Goose Pagoda

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda or Big Wild Goose Pagoda (Chinese: 大雁塔; pinyin: Dàyàn tǎ, lit.'big swan goose pagoda'), is a monumental Buddhist pagoda located in southern Xi'an, Shaanxi, China. It was built in c. 652 during the Tang dynasty and originally had five stories. It was rebuilt in 704 during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian and its exterior brick façade was renovated during the Ming dynasty.

One of the pagoda's many functions was to hold sutras and figurines of Gautama Buddha that were brought to China from India by the seventh-century Buddhist monk, scholar, traveller, and translator Xuanzang. Today, the interior walls of the pagoda feature engraved statues of Buddha by the renowned 7th-century artist Yan Liben.

This pagoda was added to the World Heritage List, along with many other sites along the Silk Road, as part of the "Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor" site in 2014.