承天寺——银川市中心的“史书”

Chengtian Temple-"historical records" in the center of Yinchuan

建筑是“石头的史书”，人类没有任何一种重要的思想不被建筑艺术书写在石头上。承天寺是除西夏陵外西夏古国繁荣过的另一证明。

Architecture is a "historical book of stone", and there is no important thought of mankind that has not been written on stone by architectural art. Chengtian Temple is another proof that the ancient country of Xixia has prospered except for the Mausoleum of Xixia.

提到承天寺人们的第一反应都是苏轼笔下的“念无与为乐者，遂至承天寺寻张怀民”，而我们今天所提到的西夏遗迹——承天寺，并非苏轼与友人散步的地方，是西夏皇太后为保江山永固而修筑，寺内建有一塔，西夏人将西域僧人进献的佛骨，以金棺银椁贮埋于塔基下。西夏福圣承道三年(1055年)，又将宋朝所赐的《大藏经》置于寺内。塔寺建成后，延请回鹘高僧登座讲经，皇太后与皇帝经常即席聆听。寺内香火旺盛，僧人不绝，与当时凉州护国寺、甘州卧佛寺齐名，是西夏著名的佛教圣地之一。

The first reaction for people that Mentioned Chengtian Temple was Su Shi’s “There is nothing for pleasure, then went to Chengtian Temple to find Zhang Huaimin”, the Xixia relics we are talking about today, Chengtian Temple, is not Su Shi and The place where the friends walked, it was built by the Empress Dowager of Xixia to protect the country forever. There is a tower in the temple. The Xixia people buried the Buddha bones donated by the monks of the Western Regions and buried them under the base of the tower with gold coffins and silver coffins. For three years (1055) of Xixia Fusheng Chengdao, the Tripitaka given by the Song Dynasty was placed in the temple. After the completion of the temple, the monks were invited to give lectures, and the empress dowager and the emperor often listened to it. The temple is prosperous. It is as famous as Liangzhou Huguo Temple and Ganzhou Reclining Buddha Temple at that time. It is one of the famous Buddhist holy places in Xixia.

而今，历经风雨的承天寺依然伫立于银川市老城区西南部，当地人称之为“西塔”。始建于西夏垂圣元年（1050年），清乾隆三年十一月二十四日（1739年1月3日）大地震，塔、寺全部震毁。我们现在看到的承天寺塔，为嘉庆二十五年（1820年）重修，保留了原西夏佛塔的基本形制。这是宁夏现存的一百多座古塔中最高的一座砖塔，也是当年银川的最高建筑。

Today, the Chengtian Temple, which has experienced wind and rain, still stands in the southwest of the old city of Yinchuan, and the locals call it the "West Pagoda". It was built in the first year of Chuisheng in Xixia (1050). On November 24 (January 3, 1739) of the Qing Emperor Qianlong, there was a major earthquake that destroyed all the towers and temples. The Chengtian Temple pagoda we see now was rebuilt for the 25th year of Jiaqing (1820), retaining the basic shape of the original Xixia Pagoda. This is the tallest brick tower among the more than 100 existing ancient towers in Ningxia, and it was also the tallest building in Yinchuan that year.

承天寺塔为一座八角十一层楼阁式砖塔，高64.5米，比西安的大雁塔还高0.5米。塔体建在高2.6米、边长26米的方形台基上。塔门面东，可通过4.8米的券道进入塔室。塔室呈方形空间，室内各层为木板楼层结构，有木梯盘旋而上。塔身一至二层各面设券门窗式壁龛，三、五、七、九层设南北券门式明窗，塔身各层收分较大，每层之间的塔檐上下各挑出三层棱牙砖。各层檐角石榴状的铁柄上挂有铁铃，微风吹过，丁当作响。塔身十一层以上挑出五层棱角牙砖，上建八面攒尖顶刹座，其上立桃形绿色琉璃塔刹。四、六、八、十层设东西向多门式明窗，十一层设四明四暗圆窗。整座塔造型挺拔，呈角锥形风格，古朴简洁。

Chengtian Temple Tower is an octagonal eleven-story pavilion-style brick tower with a height of 64.5 meters, which is 0.5 meters higher than the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an. The tower is built on a square base with a height of 2.6 meters and a side length of 26 meters. To the east of the tower, you can enter the tower room through a 4.8-meter road. The tower room is a square space, and each floor of the room is a wooden floor structure with wooden ladders hovering up. The first and second floors of the tower are equipped with voucher door and window niches, and the third, fifth, seventh and ninth floors are equipped with north-south voucher door-style open windows. Three-layer prismatic bricks. There are iron bells hung on the pomegranate-shaped iron handles of the eaves and corners, and the breeze jingles. Above the eleventh floor of the tower body, five layers of angular and toothed bricks are picked out, and an eight-sided spire-top brake seat is built on it, and a peach-shaped green glazed tower is erected on it. On the fourth, sixth, eighth, and tenth floors, there are east-west multi-door open windows, and the eleventh floor has four bright and four dark round windows. The whole tower is tall and straight, in a pyramidal style, simple and simple.

承天寺，寺门朝东开启，院内现存建筑有五佛殿、佛塔、韦驮殿、卧佛殿。韦驮、卧佛二殿两侧建有南北向配殿。殿宇之间，以重檐砖雕垂花门和围墙连接，形成四合院式的院中院。坐落在外院的五佛殿与佛塔同建在一条东西向的中轴线上，塔身各层檐角挂有铁铃，微风轻抚，空灵的声音回荡在庭院内。外院院落宽阔，古树参天，松柏长青，肃穆宁静。

In Chengtian Temple, the gate of the temple opens to the east. The existing buildings in the courtyard include the Hall of Five Buddhas, the Pagoda, the Hall of Wei Tuo, and the Hall of Reclining Buddha. There are north-south side halls on both sides of the Wei Tuo Hall and the Reclining Buddha Hall. Between the halls, a double-edged brick carved hanging flower gate is connected with the surrounding wall, forming a courtyard-style courtyard. The Hall of Five Buddhas located in the outer courtyard is built on the same east-west axis as the pagoda. Iron bells hang on the eaves of the tower body. The breeze is caressed and the ethereal sound echoes in the courtyard. The outer courtyard is wide, towering old trees, evergreen pines and cypresses, solemn and quiet.

如今，寺院内修建了博物馆，增建了古建筑展室，收藏了许多宁夏历史、民族、军事等方面珍贵的文物，成为人们观赏和游乐的重要活动场所。历经千年，它见证了西夏王朝的皇权更替和王朝更迭，见证了银川的现代发展，是银川重点保护的古建筑之一。

Nowadays, a museum has been built in the temple, an exhibition room of ancient buildings has been added, and many precious cultural relics of Ningxia’s history, ethnicity, and military have been collected, making it an important place for people to watch and play. After thousands of years, it has witnessed the change of imperial power and dynasty of the Xixia dynasty, and witnessed the modern development of Yinchuan. It is one of the key protected ancient buildings in Yinchuan.