Five Pagoda Temple

Wuta Temple, formerly known as Cideng Temple, is located in the southeast of the old city of Hohhot. Once all the temple buildings collapsed, only this pagoda was left, so later generations learned that there was a temple here, and it was named Wuta Temple when it was rebuilt. Wuta Temple is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery and the birthplace of Tibetan Buddhism in Mongolia. The south of Wuta Temple faces Wuta Temple Square, and the entrance is also here. The layout of Wuta Temple is typical of the central axis of the Han nationality. The central axis runs from north to south, and the two sides are strictly symmetrical. The temple is divided into three courtyards, namely the Sanshi Buddha Temple in the south, the Cultural Exhibition Court in the middle and the Cideng Temple in the north. The area of Wuta Temple is not large, with a depth of only about 150 meters. Entering the temple from the south gate of Wuta Temple, there are small white pagodas on both sides in the south of the park, which has the characteristics of Tibetan Buddhism. Directly opposite is the Sanshi Buddha Hall. The architecture of the Sanshi Buddha Hall not only has the characteristics of Han palaces, but also the style of ethnic minorities and Tibetans. This is also the general style of the entire temple building. After passing through the Sanshi Buddha Hall, you arrive at the courtyard in the middle. The building opposite is clearly written with "Hushizhao Temple Cultural Exhibition". Inside the building of the temple culture exhibition, there are historical portraits of Tsongkhapa and other figures on the left wall, and on the right side are the pictures of the existing Vajra seat relic pagoda in my country, reflecting the long history of the temple culture in Hohhot. Then came to the courtyard in the north, in the middle of the courtyard is the main hall of Cideng Temple, behind the main hall is the relic pagoda. This stupa was built in the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty and is about 16 meters high. When visiting the Wuta Temple, you can not only watch it from the outside, but also go up to the top of the pagoda, overlooking the whole temple, with a good view. There is a Mongolian astronomical map stone carving on the north wall behind the stupa. The diameter of the astronomical map is 144.5 cm.