Legend has it that during the Nanzhao period, three brothers accompanied Limi, the Tang general, on his military campaign to subdue Nanzhao. They were very good at building bridges and were later worshipped as Benzhu in different regions, the oldest brother in Jianchuan, as 城隍老爷.

This temple is recorded as being built by all 18 villages in Shaxi during the late Qing, with the Chenghuang worshipped as a protector god for all the villages. In the 1950s, the temple was then used as a grain storage, with the statues inside the temple being destroyed. The temple was reopened in 2012 and in 2020 is undergoing reconstruction, with a museum and culture centre built next door.