Five-Pagoda Temple

Five-Pagoda Temple

The Five Pagoda Temple, located in the southern section of town, is a miniature temple built in Indian style, so named for the five four-sided pagodas that jut up from the rectangular base of the building. This is a pretty temple that is worth taking time out to visit, especially if you are in the vicinity of this older section of town. Originally the temple was used by followers and monks as a stuppa for relics and was, up until the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD), a part of a larger complex, the Ci Deng Temple. This has now all but disappeared and nowadays the temple is surrounded by a large, dusty, concrete yard, and a number of small shops selling postcards, incense and various Buddhist oddities. The structure itself rises to a height of 16 meters and is of a glazed brick finish, covered with over 1000 hand carved Buddhas and Mongolian, Tibetan & Sanskrit script. You can climb to the top of the base to get a look at the pagodas themselves, or head to the back of the building where a carved screen includes a rare Mongolian astronomical map, marking hundreds of stars (the only of its kind in the world).