Liangzhou Alliance Stele
Historically, there was the 'Liangzhou Meeting', which was a significant event in Chinese history. This negotiation determined that Tibet would officially become an administrative region directly under the central government of the Yuan Dynasty of China, marking Tibet's entry into the territory of the motherland. This event holds great significance in the formation of China's multi-ethnic nation. The Tibetan religious leader Sakya Pandita and the Mongol-Yuan representative, Western Route Army commander Köden, held a 'meeting' here. Wuwei White Pagoda Temple stands as a testament to Tibet's integration into China for over seven hundred years.
Sapan Master
Entering the scenic area gate, a golden statue of Sapan stands tall in the center of the prayer wheel square... Sapan is considered a legend in the Indo-Tibetan region. It is said that he could preach at the age of 9, study the 'Abhidharma' at 18, and by 23, he became a scholar proficient in the Tripitaka and the Five Sciences. At 24, he wrote the 'Nyayabindu' and the 'Three Vinaya Treatises', breaking the 'heresies' of the time. Sapan's reputation spread throughout India. Six masters, including the South Indian heterodox scholar Choje Gawa, came to Tibet to criticize Buddhism. In a 13-day debate, Sapan won with his sharp wisdom and eloquence, convincing Choje Gawa and others to become his disciples. Sapan's fame spread across India and Tibet. At the age of 35, he was elected as the abbot (Great Dharma Throne) of Sakya Monastery. In the history of Tibetan Buddhism and literature, Sapan's works and the Sakya Maxims hold significant positions.
Saban Lingta
The Linggu White Pagoda is a type of Tibetan Lama pagoda, symbolizing the commemoration of Saban. After the Linggu White Pagoda was built, the fifth-generation patriarch of Sakya, Phagpa (who later became the national teacher of the Yuan Dynasty), personally presided over the consecration ceremony. Since then, Donghuanhuasi Temple was renamed Baita Temple. Phagpa inherited Saban's legacy and continued to preside over the temple, building more than fifty small pagodas. According to the inscription on the stele 'Reconstruction of Liangzhou Baita Temple' in the fifth year of the Xuande era of the Ming Dynasty (1430), it records that the imperial teacher Saban resided and passed away in this temple, and a large pagoda, one hundred feet high, was built. Since then, all the pious men and women who came here from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the Mongolian grasslands to worship would bow to the pagoda.
Forest of a Hundred Pagodas
Surrounded by ninety-nine small white pagodas, forming a forest of pagodas, the White Pagoda is thus called the Hundred Pagoda Temple. According to the 'Wuwei County Annals': 'There is one large pagoda inside the White Pagoda Temple, surrounded by ninety-nine small pagodas'... The hundred Tibetan-style pagodas, restored to their historical appearance, are distributed in a fan shape, with varying heights and diverse designs.
Saban Linggu Pagoda
Coming out of the pagoda forest and walking forward, there is a courtyard, which is the actual location of the Saban Linggu Pagoda. Apparently, now only the remnants of the pagoda base remain... After Saban's silence at the White Pagoda Temple, Kublai Khan built a 16-story pagoda, over 40 meters high, with more than 60 meters of white pagodas around it, according to the height of the Tibetan-style pagoda at the White Pagoda Temple, and buried Saban's remains in the pagoda.
