Daily Flickr Finds: China Roamer’s Big Wild Goose Pagoda

The Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi’an, China is a holy site for Buddhists, and a well preserved ancient relic. Built in 652 using a simple style of construction, the structure was created to hold Buddhist relics taken from India. It stands at 64.5 metres high, and its walls are engraved with fine statues of Buddha and calligraphy.

China Roamer’s photograph shows a scene from the North Square – a 110,000 square metre waterscape and fountains plaza, the largest of its type inAsia. Composed completely of fountains, gardens, paths and sculptures, the area is perfectly portrayed in this night-time photograph. The lighting gives the image an electrifying feel, and certainly portrays energy and movement at this ancient relic.

So why is it called the Big Wild Goose Pagoda? Legend has it that in ancient times, there were two branches of Buddhists, one of which had no taboo against eating meat. On a day when they could find no meat to purchase, one of the monks prayed for some meat as some wild geese were flying overhead. Upon praying, the leading goose’s wings broke and it fell to earth, much to the astonishment of the monks watching! They repented their meat-eating ways and established the Pagoda at the exact spot where the bird landed.