The pagoda was originally built under the supervision of the monk Xuanzang, whose pilgrimage to India inspired the novel Journey to the West.

[3] Located in Jinchangfang (进昌坊) of Chang'an (today's Xi'an), the Daci'en Temple was first constructed in 648, in the 22nd year of Zhenguan period of the Tang dynasty (618–907).

[1] Prince Li Zhi, the later Emperor Gaozong of Tang, issued the decree building the temple in commemoration of his mother Empress Zhangsun.

The renowned Buddhist monk Xuanzang was in charge of the temple, where he founded the East Asian Yogācāra in the Tang Empire.

On March 4, 1961, the temple was listed among the first group of the "Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Shaanxi" by the State Council of China.