Located in the southeast of the old Hohhot city, Five Pagoda Temple is an important Tibetan Buddhist temple which has a great influence in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Because on the base there stand five pagodas, so the temple got its name. Although not as famous as Dazhao Temple, this gorgeous Indian themed temple has already been a top tourists destination in Hohhot.

Five Pagoda Temple was built during the reign of Emperor Yongzheng of Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Started to built in 1727, the construction of the temple totally cost 6 years which was finished in 1732. The design of the Five Pagoda Temple in Hohhot followed the special "diamond throne" pagoda style of Indian Buddhist architecture which was regarded as a copy of the Gaya Temple in India. The pagoda is 16 meters high consisting of three parts: the base, the seat and the top (five pagodas). On the lower part of the seat, visitors could see the inlaid inscriptions of Diamond Sutra written in three different languages (Mongolian, Tibetan and Sanskrit). On the upper part, there sit the niches that hold the golden statues of Buddha. The body of the pagoda has five floors with green and yellow colored glazes on the short eaves. On the first floor there shows the brick carvings of Buddha, the Bodhisattva and Bodhi trees, while on the floors above there are totally 1563 special niches for statues of Buddha in different sizes and shapes. On the northern wall there has 3 liner carved pictures. Besides, step into the pagodas visitors could also find a rare Mongolian cosmological map carved into a large stone which described the zodiac and expressed positions of stars.

Compared with other pagodas in China, Five Pagoda Temple has its unique characteristics: its special architecture style with Indian themed, pagodas over pagoda, the green and yellow colored glazes on the short eaves and a large number of niches for Buddha statues in different sizes. All of these characteristics make it quite special and being regarded as a treasure of Hohhot City. So during you tour to Hohhot, never miss the chance to step into this unique temple to discover its rich culture and appreciate its unique architecture style.