Baima Temple is the first temple built by the government after Buddhism was introduced into China. Its construction is closely related to the famous "Yongping Seeking Dharma" in the history of Buddhism in China. According to legend, Liu Zhuang, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, dreamed that the head of the golden god was shining with white light and flying around the temple. The next day, when he learned that his dream was to become a Buddha, he sent special envoys Cai Yin and Qin Jing to the western regions to pray for Buddhism. Cai, Qin and others met with Kashmotong and Zhu Falan, the eminent monks of Tianzhu, in Yueshi (now Afghanistan). In the 10th year of Yongping (67), Cai and Qin invited Buddhist monks to come to China to preach Buddhism, and rode a white horse carrying Buddhist scriptures and statues to the capital Luoyang. Emperor Han Ming ordered the construction of a temple imitating Tianzhu style. In order to remember the merits of the White Horse, the temple was named "White Horse Temple".
Baimasi mountain gate