Buddha Statue photo copyrighted by: BeijingChinaWorld The temple was first built in 1096 during the Liao Dynasty, according to historical records. In the year 1271, Mongolian leader Kublai Khan united the country and started the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368); he became known as emperor ShiZu. To enhance the relationship between his empire and the religious power in Tibet, Kublai Khan granted imperial permission to build the lamaist White Dagoba. In 1271 the original pagoda was dismantled and a new Lamaist dagoba, on a larger scale, was erected. Construction was overseen by the Nepali architect Aniko and it was completed in 1279. This is the dagoba we see today. The White Dagoba temple functioned as an imperial temple during the Yuan Dynasty (when Beijing was known as Dadu) and a ceremony for Kublai Khan was held there when he died.
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