Five Pagoda Temple

Five-Pagoda Temple (Wuta Si), which is also called Jingangzuo Sheli Baota, is located in Hohhot City. As there are five small dagobas on the pedestal of the pagoda, it is named Wuta Si. Wuta was originally a building of the temple constructed during 1727-1732. Now the temple has disappeared, but the pagoda has remained. The Five Pagoda Temple is a unique temple in China as it features classic Indian style architecture.

 

The pagoda is 16 meters high (about 51 feet) and it is composed of three parts: the base, the seat and the top (five dagobas). The lower part of the seat is inlaid with inscriptions of Diamond Sutra written in Mongolian, Tibetan and Sanskrit. The upper part is niches holding gold-plated statues of Buddha. The body of the pagoda is glazed in green and yellow.

 

On the northern wall of the pagoda, three sculptures are inlaid. The Mongolian Astronomical Map is the only one labeled in Mongolian so far in the world and it is of great importance to scientific research.

 

Compared with other pagodas, Five-Pagoda Temple is unique in at least two aspects: its special structure, pagodas over pagoda, and the green and yellow colored glazes on the short eaves and tops of pagodas. Those make Five-Pagoda Temple quite special, a treasure of Hohhot City.