Daxingshan Temple
大兴善寺
A thousand-year-old temple and imperial Sui-Tang monastery, the ancestral seat of Esoteric Buddhism, where the three great Kaiyuan masters translated scriptures. It is free to visit and located in the city.
Daxingshan Temple is near Xiaozhai in Xi'an. It was first built during the Western Jin dynasty and later expanded by Emperor Wen of Sui into an imperial temple. It was one of the three major translation centers of Sui-Tang Chang'an. During the Tang dynasty, the 'Three Great Masters of the Kaiyuan Era', Shubhakarasimha, Vajrabodhi, and Amoghavajra, translated esoteric Buddhist scriptures here. The temple is honored as the ancestral seat of Esoteric Buddhism in Chinese Buddhism. Most of the surviving buildings were rebuilt during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The complex includes the mountain gate, the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the Main Hall, the Guanyin Hall, the Dharma Hall, and the Stupa of the Tripitaka Amoghavajra, all shaded by ancient trees. Admission is free, and a visit takes about an hour. It is not far from the Shaanxi History Museum and the Small Wild Goose Pagoda. Nearby stations include Xiaozhai Station on Metro Lines 2 and 3 and Big Wild Goose Pagoda Station on Metro Line 4, so it can be combined with the Shaanxi History Museum.
Opening hours
08:00–17:00
Nearby sights
- Shaanxi History Museum
- Small Wild Goose Pagoda & Xi'an Museum
- Giant Wild Goose Pagoda / Datang Everbright City
- Xi'an City Wall
- Chang'an Twelve Hours Theme Block
- Xi'an Beilin Museum (Forest of Steles) & Shuyuanmen
- Sui-Tang Dynasty Heaven Altar Site
- Bell Tower and Drum Tower