White Horse Pagoda

Located in Baimata Village on the west bank of Danghe River to the southwest of Dunhuang, the White Horse Pagoda (Baima Pagoda) is 2 km away from the city center. In 374, Kumarajiva (344 - 413), an eminent monk from the Western Regions, spread Buddhism on his way to east China but his white horse die at Dunhuang. Then he buried his horse in Baima Town and built Baima Pagoda, which means white horse, to commemorate his horse. With a majestic layout, the pagoda is nine-story high built with adobe, 12 m tall and 7 m of diameter. There is upright column inside the pagoda and cob and lime are applied to the surface. With a style of Lamaism pagoda of the Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644), the pagoda is now surrounded by green. When soft wind breezes, the bells hung on the pagoda will ring, making it a scenic spot of Dunhuang.