Big wild goose pagoda , stands in the compound of the temple of great maternal grace some four kilometers south of the city proper . it was built in 629 a . d . to keep the 657 volumes of buddhist scripture brought back by the famous monk xuan zang from india . the monk stayed in the temple for 11 years studying and translating the buddhist scripture 大雁塔坐落在西安城南四公里处的大慈恩寺内，初建于公元648年，中国历史上著名僧人玄奘于公元628年沿丝路往印度等国求法取经， 16年后归国，携回佛经657部，为保存这些佛教经典，他向皇帝建议修建大雁塔，并在此从事翻译著述达11年之久，译出74部梵文经典，大雁塔内所藏书法，绘画雕刻，极具史学价值。
