Memory about Silver Mountain & Pagoda Forest

The last stop in my Beijing to Xian one day tour is the Silver Mountain & Pagoda Forest. The Pagoda Forest is situated in the mountains, 30 kilometers north of Changping District, and 50 kilometers away of downtown Beijing. It lies on a mountain which is covered with covered with snow, just like silvers, hence the name Siver Mountain.

It has been said that the famous eminent Deng Yinfeng in Tang Dynasty once came here to do preaches, to commemorate him, the following monks built a 4 meter high stone pagoda which is named “Zhuanyao Pagoda”. During Da’an period of Liao Dynasty, the grand Dayan Saint Temple was built below the middle peak of Silver Mountain. Now except the Dayan Saint Temple, there are also many other famous temples such as Laoye Temple, Tiebi Temple, Songpeng Temple and Qingjing Nunnery etc. According to the records, there were over 500 monks living here, after their death, many tomb pagodas were built, most of which were Lama pagodas shaped like inversed bowls. Their sizes varied from about one meter to about a dozen meter with their ranks and status. I have seen many pagodas in Xian travel, but no one can be compared with the Pagoda Forest.

Now, with 18 pagodas remaining, the Siver Mountain and Pagoda Forest is a large scenic spot of historic interest.