Pagoda

Clockwise from upper left: Pagoda of Hōryū-ji, Japan; Liuhe Pagoda, Hangzhou, China; Giant Wild Goose Pagoda of Xi'an, China; Phước Duyên Pagoda, Thiên Mụ Temple, Vietnam; Seokgatap of Bulguksa, South Korea; Prashar Lake temple, Himachal Pradesh, India.

A pagoda is a tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist, but sometimes Taoist, and were often located in or near viharas. The pagoda traces its origins to the stupa, while its design was developed in ancient India. ^[1] Chinese pagodas (Chinese :塔; pinyin :Tǎ) are a traditional part of Chinese architecture. In addition to religious use, since ancient times Chinese pagodas have been praised for the spectacular views they offer, and many classical poems attest to the joy of scaling pagodas.

Contents

• Etymology
• History
• China
• Symbolism and geomancy
• Architecture
• Construction materials
• Wood
• Transition to brick and stone
• De-emphasis over time
• Styles of eras
• Han dynasty
• Sui and Tang
• Dali kingdom
• Song, Liao, Jin, Yuan
• Ming and Qing
• Notable pagodas
• See also
• Notes
• References
• External links

The oldest and tallest pagodas were built of wood, but most that survived were built of brick or stone. Some pagodas are solid with no interior. Hollow pagodas have no higher floors or rooms, but the interior often contains an altar or a smaller pagoda, as well as a series of staircases for the visitor to climb to see the view from an opening on one side of each tier. Most have between three and 13 tiers (almost always an odd number) and the classic gradual tiered eaves. ^{[2] [3]}

In some countries, the term may refer to other religious structures. In Vietnam and Cambodia, due to French translation, the English term pagoda is a more generic term referring to a place of worship, although pagoda is not an accurate word to describe a Buddhist vihara. The architectural structure of the stupa has spread across Asia, taking on many diverse forms specific to each region. Many Philippine bell towers are highly influenced by pagodas through Chinese workers hired by the Spaniards.

Etymology

One proposed etymology is from a South Chinese pronunciation of the term for an eight-cornered tower, Chinese:八角塔, and reinforced by the name of a famous pagoda encountered by many early European visitors to China, the "Pázhōu tǎ" (Chinese:琶洲塔), standing just south of Guangzhou at Whampoa Anchorage. ^[4] Another proposed etymology is Persian butkada, from but, "idol" and kada, "temple, dwelling." ^[5]

Yet another etymology is from the Sinhala word dāgaba, derived from Sanskrit dhātugarbha or Pali dhātugabbha: "relic womb/chamber" or "reliquary shrine", i.e. a stupa, by way of Portuguese. ^{[6] [ failed verification ]}

History

The origin of the pagoda can be traced to the stupa (3rd century BCE). ^[7] The stupa, a dome shaped monument, was used as a commemorative monument to house sacred relics and writings. ^{[7] [8]} In East Asia, the architecture of Chinese towers and Chinese pavilions blended into pagoda architecture, eventually also spreading to Southeast Asia. Their construction was popularized by the efforts of Buddhist missionaries, pilgrims, rulers, and ordinary devotees to honor Buddhist relics. ^[9]

Japan has a total of 22 five-storied timber pagodas constructed before 1850. ^[10]

China

The earliest styles of Chinese pagodas were square-base and circular-base, with octagonal-base towers emerging in the 5th–10th centuries. The highest Chinese pagoda from the pre-modern age is the Liaodi Pagoda of Kaiyuan Monastery, Dingxian, Hebei, completed in the year 1055 AD under Emperor Renzong of Song and standing at a total height of 84 m (275 ft). Although it no longer stands, the tallest pre-modern pagoda in Chinese history was the 100-metre-tall wooden pagoda (330 ft) of Chang'an, built by Emperor Yang of Sui, ^[11] and possibly the short-lived 6th century Yongning Pagoda (永宁宝塔) of Luoyang at roughly 137 metres. The tallest pre-modern pagoda still standing is the Liaodi Pagoda. In April 2007 a new wooden pagoda Tianning Temple of Changzhou was opened to the public, the tallest in China, standing 154 m (505 ft).

Symbolism and geomancy

Chinese iconography is noticeable in Chinese and other East Asian pagoda architectures. Also prominent is Buddhist iconography such as the image of the Shakyamuni and Gautama Buddha in the abhaya mudra. ^{[12] [13]} In an article on Buddhist elements in Han dynasty art, Wu Hung suggests that in these temples, Buddhist symbolism was fused with native Chinese traditions into a unique system of symbolism. ^[14]

Some believed reverence at pagodas could bring luck to students taking the Chinese civil service examinations. ^[15] When a pagoda of Yihuang County in Fuzhou collapsed in 1210, local inhabitants believed the disaster correlated with the recent failure of many exam candidates in the prefectural examinations ^[16] The pagoda was rebuilt in 1223 and had a list inscribed on it of the recently successful examination candidates, in hopes that it would reverse the trend and win the county supernatural favor. ^[16]

Architecture

Pagodas come in many different sizes, ^[17] with taller ones often attracting lightning strikes, inspiring a tradition that the finial decoration of the top of the structure can seize demons. ^[18] Today many pagodas have been fitted with wires making the finial into a lightning rod. ^[19]

Wooden pagodas possess certain characteristics thought to resist earthquake damage. These include the friction damping and sliding effect of the complex wooden dougong joints, ^[20] the structural isolation of floors, the effects of wide eaves analogous to a balancing toy, and the Shinbashira phenomenon that the center column is bolted to the rest of the superstructure. ^[21]

Pagodas traditionally have an odd number of levels, a notable exception being the eighteenth-century orientalist pagoda designed by Sir William Chambers at Kew Gardens in London.

The pagodas in Himalayas are derived from Newari architecture, very different from Chinese and Japanese styles. ^[22]

Construction materials

Wood

During the Southern and Northern dynasties, pagodas were mostly built of wood, as were other ancient Chinese structures. Wooden pagodas are resistant to earthquakes, and no Japanese pagoda has been destroyed by an earthquake, ^[21] but they are prone to fire, natural rot, and insect infestation.

Examples of wooden pagodas:

• White Horse Pagoda at White Horse Temple, Luoyang
• Futuci Pagoda in Xuzhou, built in the Three Kingdoms period (c. 220–265)
• Many of the pagodas in Stories About Buddhist Temples in Luoyang , a Northern Wei text

The literature of subsequent eras also provides evidence of the domination of wooden pagoda construction. The famous Tang dynasty poet, Du Mu, once wrote:

480 Buddhist temples of the Southern Dynasties,
uncountable towers and pagodas stand in the misty rain.^{[ clarification needed ]}

The oldest standing fully wooden pagoda in China today is the Pagoda of Fugong Temple in Ying County, Shanxi, built in the 11th century during the Song/Liao dynasty (see Song architecture).

Transition to brick and stone

During the Northern Wei and Sui dynasties (386–618) experiments began with the construction of brick and stone pagodas. Even at the end of the Sui, however, wood was still the most common material. For example, Emperor Wen of the Sui dynasty (reigned 581–604) once issued a decree for all counties and prefectures to build pagodas to a set of standard designs, however since they were all built of wood none have survived. Only the Songyue Pagoda has survived, a circular-based pagoda built out of brick in 523 AD.

Brick

The earliest extant brick pagoda is the 40-metre-tall Songyue Pagoda in Dengfeng Country, Henan. ^[23] This curved, circle-based pagoda was built in 523 during the Northern Wei dynasty, and has survived for 15 centuries. ^[23] Much like the later pagodas found during the following Tang dynasty, this temple featured tiers of eaves encircling its frame, as well as a spire crowning the top. Its walls are 2.5 m thick, with a ground floor diameter of 10.6 m. Another early brick pagoda is the Sui dynasty Guoqing Pagoda built in 597.

Stone

The earliest large-scale stone pagoda is a Four Gates Pagoda at Licheng, Shandong, built in 611 during the Sui dynasty. Like the Songyue Pagoda, it also features a spire at its top, and is built in the pavilion style.

Brick and stone

One of the earliest brick and stone pagodas was a three-storey construction built in the (first) Jin dynasty (266–420), by Wang Jun of Xiangyang. However, it is now destroyed.

Brick and stone went on to dominate Tang, Song, Liao and Jin dynasty pagoda construction. An example is the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda (652 AD), built during the early Tang dynasty. The Porcelain Pagoda of Nanjing has been one of the most famous brick and stone pagoda in China throughout history. The Zhou dynasty started making the ancient pagodas about 3,500 years ago.

De-emphasis over time

Pagodas, in keeping with the tradition of the White Horse Temple, were generally placed in the center of temples until the Sui and Tang dynasties. During the Tang, the importance of the main hall was elevated and the pagoda was moved beside the hall, or out of the temple compound altogether. In the early Tang, Daoxuan wrote a Standard Design for Buddhist Temple Construction in which the main hall replaced the pagoda as the center of the temple.

The design of temples was also influenced by the use of traditional Chinese residences as shrines, after they were philanthropically donated by the wealthy or the pious. In such pre-configured spaces, building a central pagoda might not have been either desirable or possible.

In the Song dynasty (960–1279), the Chan (Zen) sect developed a new 'seven part structure' for temples. The seven parts—the Buddha hall, dharma hall, monks' quarters, depository, gate, pure land hall and toilet facilities—completely exclude pagodas, and can be seen to represent the final triumph of the traditional Chinese palace/courtyard system over the original central-pagoda tradition established 1000 years earlier by the White Horse Temple in 67. Although they were built outside of the main temple itself, large pagodas in the tradition of the past were still built. This includes the two Ming dynasty pagodas of Famen Temple and the Chongwen Pagoda in Jingyang of Shaanxi.

A prominent, later example of converting a palace to a temple is Beijing's Yonghe Temple, which was the residence of Yongzheng Emperor before he ascended the throne. It was donated for use as a lamasery after his death in 1735.

Styles of eras

Notable pagodas

Tiered towers with multiple eaves:

• Dâu Temple, Bắc Ninh, Vietnam, built in 187
• Changu Narayan Temple, Bhaktapur, Nepal, originally built in 4th century CE, rebuilt in 1702
• Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu, Nepal, built in the 5th century
• Trấn Quốc Pagoda, Hanoi, Vietnam, built in 545
• Songyue Pagoda on Mount Song, Henan, China, built in 523
• Mireuksa at Iksan, Korea, built in the early 7th century
• Bunhwangsa at Gyeongju, Korea, built in 634
• Xumi Pagoda at Zhengding, Hebei, China, built in 636
• Daqin Pagoda in China, built in 640
• Hwangnyongsa Wooden nine-story pagoda on Hwangnyongsa, Gyeongju, Korea, built in 645
• Pagoda at Hōryū-ji, Ikaruga, Nara, Japan, built in the 7th century, one of the oldest wooden buildings in the world
• Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, made of brick, built in Xi'an, China in 704
• Small Wild Goose Pagoda, built in Xi'an, China in 709
• Seokgatap on Bulguksa, Gyeongju, South Korea, built in 751, made of granite. In 1966, the Mugujeonggwang Great Dharani Sutra, the oldest extant woodblock print, was found with several other treasures in the second story of this pagoda.
• Dabotap on Bulguksa, Gyeongju, Korea, built in 751
• Tiger Hill Pagoda, built in 961 outside of Suzhou, China
• Lingxiao Pagoda at Zhengding, Hebei, China, built in 1045
• Iron Pagoda of Kaifeng, built in 1049, during the Song dynasty
• Liaodi Pagoda of Dingzhou, built in 1055 during the Song dynasty
• Pagoda of Fogong Temple, built in 1056 in Ying County, Shanxi, China
• Pizhi Pagoda of Lingyan Temple, Shandong, China, 11th century
• Beisi Pagoda at Suzhou, Jiangsu, China, built in 1162
• Liuhe Pagoda (Six Harmonies Pagoda) of Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, built in 1165 during the Song dynasty
• Ichijō-ji, Kasai, Hyōgo, Japan, built in 1171
• Bình Sơn Pagoda of Vĩnh Khánh Temple, Vĩnh Phúc, Vietnam, built in the Trần dynasty (about the 13th century)
• Phổ Minh pagoda of Phổ Minh Temple, Vietnam, built in 1305
• Prashar Lake temple, dedicated to the Rishi Prashar, the patron of the Mandi region in India. The temple was constructed by Raja Ban Sen in the 14th century, with the rishi being present in the form of a pindi stone.
• The Porcelain Tower of Nanjing, built between 1402 and 1424, a wonder of the medieval world in Nanjing, China.
• Tsui Sing Lau Pagoda in Ping Shan, Hong Kong, built in 1486
• Bajrayogini Temple, Kathmandu, Nepal, built in 16th century by Pratap Malla
• Taleju Temple, a temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, built in 1564
• Gokarneshwor Mahadev temple, Nepal, built in 1582
• Pazhou Pagoda on Whampoa (Huangpu) Island, Guangzhou (Canton), China, built in 1600
• Phước Duyên Pagoda of Thiên Mụ Temple, in Huế, Vietnam, built in 1844 on the order of the Thiệu Trị Emperor
• Palsangjeon, a five-story pagoda at Beopjusa, Korea built in 1605
• Tō-ji, the tallest wooden structure in Kyoto, Japan, built in 1644
• Nyatapola at Bhaktapur, Kathmandu Valley built during 1701–1702
• The Great Pagoda at Kew Gardens, London, UK, built in 1762
• Reading Pagoda of Reading, Pennsylvania, built in 1908
• Kek Lok Si's main pagoda in Penang, Malaysia, exhibits a combination of Chinese, Burmese and Thai Buddhist architecture, built in 1930
• Seven-storey Pagoda in Chinese Garden at Jurong East, Singapore, built in 1975
• Dragon and Tiger Pagodas in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, built in 1976
• The pagoda of Japan Pavilion at Epcot, Florida, built in 1982
• Pagoda of Tianning Temple, the tallest pagoda in the world since its completion in April 2007, stands at 153.7 m in height.
• Nepalese Peace Pagoda in Brisbane, Australia built for the World Expo '88
• Pagoda Avalokitesvara, Indonesia, tallest pagoda in Indonesia, stands at 45 meters, built in 2004.
• Sun and Moon Pagodas in Guilin, Guangxi, China, twin pagodas on Shan Lake, originally built in the 10th century and reconstructed using historical description on the original foundation in 2001

Stupas called "pagodas":

• Global Vipassana Pagoda, the largest unsupported domed stone structure in the world
• Mingun Pahtodawgyi, a monumental uncompleted stupa began by King Bodawpaya in 1790. If completed, it would be the largest in the world at 150 meters.
• Pha That Luang, the holiest wat, pagoda, and stupa in Laos, in Vientiane
• Phra Pathommachedi the highest pagoda or stupa in Thailand Nakhon Pathom, Thailand
• Shwedagon Pagoda, a 98-metre (322 ft) gilded pagoda and stupa located in Yangon, Myanmar. It is the most sacred Buddhist pagoda for the Burmese with relics of the past four Buddhas enshrined within.
• Shwezigon Pagoda in Nyaung-U, Myanmar. Completed during the reign of King Kyanzittha in 1102, it is a prototype of Burmese stupas.
• Uppatasanti Pagoda, a 325-foot tall landmark in Naypyidaw, Myanmar, built from 2006 to 2009, which houses a Buddha tooth relic

Places called "pagoda" but which are not tiered structures with multiple eaves:

• One Pillar Pagoda: Hanoi, Vietnam, is an icon of Vietnamese culture. It was built in 1049, destroyed, and rebuilt in 1954.

Structures that evoke pagoda architecture:

• The Dragon House of Sanssouci Park, an eighteenth-century German attempt at imitating Chinese architecture
• The Panasonic Pagoda, or Pagoda Tower, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This 13-story pagoda, used as the control tower for races such as the Indy 500, has been transformed several times since it was first built in 1913. ^[25]
• Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai, built between 1994 and 1999
• Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004
• Taipei 101 in Taiwan, record setter for height (508 m) in 2004 and currently (2021) the world's tenth tallest completed building

Structures not generally thought of as pagodas, but which have some pagoda-like characteristics:

• The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests at the Temple of Heaven
• Wongudan Altar in Korea

• 
  The Iron Pagoda of Kaifeng, China, built in 1049
• 
  Five-story pagoda of Mount Haguro, Japan
• 
  Wooden three-story pagoda of Ichijō-ji in Japan, built in 1171
• 
  Yingde pagoda, Qingyuan, Guangdong Province, China, from Johan Nieuhof (1618–1672); Jean-Baptiste Le Carpentier (1606 – c. 1670): L'ambassade de la Compagnie Orientale des Provinces Unies vers l'Empereur de la Chine, 1665
• 
  One Pillar Pagoda, Hanoi, Vietnam
• 
  The nine-story Xumi Pagoda, Hebei, China, built in 636
• 
  Nyatapola Temple located in Bhaktapur, Nepal, built in 1701–1702
• 
  Taipei 101 in Taipei, Taiwan
• 
  The Bombardier Pagoda at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
• 
  Shwedagon Pagoda located in Yangon, Myanmar. The whole structure is coated with 60 tons of pure gold
• 
  Pagoda Mumbai
• 
• 
  Peace Pagoda - Sri Lanka
• 
  The Sun and Moon Pagodas lighted at night and reflected in Lake Shanhu in November 2017.

See also

• Architecture of the Song dynasty
• Cetiya
• Chaitya
• Pyatthat
• Kath-Kuni architecture
• Chinese architecture
• Gongbei – Chinese Muslim mausoleum with pagoda-style architecture
• Japanese pagoda
• List of pagodas in Beijing
• Chaoyang North Tower
• Guanghui Temple Huatai Pagoda

Notes

Related Research Articles

In Buddhism, a stupa is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics that is used as a place of meditation.

Chinese architecture is the embodiment of an architectural style that has developed over millennia in China and has influenced architecture throughout East Asia. Since its emergence during the early ancient era, the structural principles of its architecture have remained largely unchanged. The main changes involved diverse decorative details. Starting with the Tang dynasty, Chinese architecture has had a major influence on the architectural styles of neighbouring East Asian countries such as Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and Mongolia in addition to minor influences on the architecture of Southeast and South Asia including the countries of Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and the Philippines.

Buddhist religious architecture developed in the Indian subcontinent. Three types of structures are associated with the religious architecture of early Buddhism: monasteries (viharas), places to venerate relics (stupas), and shrines or prayer halls, which later came to be called temples in some places.

The architecture of the Song dynasty (960–1279) was noted for its towering Buddhist pagodas, enormous stone and wooden bridges, lavish tombs, and extravagant palaces. Although literary works on architecture existed beforehand, architectural writing blossomed during the Song dynasty, maturing into a more professional form that described dimensions and working materials in a concise, organized manner. In addition to the examples still standing, depictions in Song artwork, architectural drawings, and illustrations in published books all aid modern historians in understanding the architecture of the period.

The Iron Pagoda of Youguo Temple (佑國寺), Kaifeng City, Henan province, is a Chinese pagoda built in 1049. The pagoda is so-named not because it is made of iron, but because its color resembles that of iron. It is a brick pagoda tower built on the location of a previous wooden one that had been burnt down by lightning fire in 1044. Along with the Liuhe, Lingxiao, Liaodi, Pizhi, and Beisi pagodas, it is seen as a masterpiece of Song dynasty architecture.

The Beisi Pagoda or North Temple Pagoda is a Chinese pagoda located at Bao'en Temple in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China. The base of the pagoda has an octagonal frame, and the tower rises nine stories in a total height of 76 m (249 ft). The pagoda was once eleven stories tall, but was damaged and reduced to nine stories. Its double eaves and flying corners are similar to that of the Liuhe Pagoda found in Hangzhou. Its base and outside walls are made of brick, the balustrades made of stone, and the eaves and banisters encircling the structure are made of wood.

The Lingxiao Pagoda is a Chinese pagoda west of the Xinglong Temple in Zhengding, Hebei Province, China.

The Liaodi Pagoda of Kaiyuan Monastery, Dingzhou, Hebei Province, China is the tallest existing pre-modern Chinese pagoda and tallest brick pagoda in the world, built in the 11th century during the Song dynasty (960–1279). The pagoda stands at a height of 84 meters (276 ft), resting on a large platform with an octagonal base. Upon completion in 1055, the Liaodi Pagoda surpassed the height of China's previously tallest pagoda still standing, the central pagoda of the Three Pagodas, which stands at 69.13 m (230 ft). The tallest pagoda in pre-modern Chinese history was a 100-meter (330 ft)-tall wooden pagoda tower in Chang'an built in 611 by Emperor Yang of Sui, yet this structure no longer stands. It is considered one of the Four Treasures of Hebei.

Youguo Temple is a Buddhist monastery complex located northeast of Kaifeng, in Henan province, China. It was built during the Song dynasty. The design features the Iron Pagoda towering in the center of the complex, in a style that flourished in Chinese Buddhist temple architecture through the 11th century.

The Songyue Pagoda, constructed in 523 CE, is located at the Songyue Monastery on Mount Song, in Henan province, China. Built during the Northern Wei Dynasty, this pagoda is one of the few intact sixth-century pagodas in China and is also the earliest known Chinese brick pagoda. Most structures from that period were made of wood and have not survived, although ruins of rammed earth fortifications still exist. In 2010, the Pagoda was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List along with other nearby monuments as part of the 'Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in “The Centre of Heaven and Earth”' site.

The Sakyamuni Pagoda of Fogong Temple of Ying County, Shanxi province, China, is a wooden Chinese pagoda. It is also known as the Wooden Pagoda of Ying County. It was constructed in 1056, during the second year of the Khitan-led Liao dynasty and was renovated and expended in 1195 during the sixth year of the Jin Dynasty. The pagoda was built by Emperor Daozong of Liao (Hongji) at the site of his grandmother's family home. The pagoda, which has survived several large earthquakes throughout the centuries, reached a level of such fame within China that it was given the generic nickname of the "Muta".

Fawang Temple is a modern Chinese Buddhist monastery located 5 km (3.1 mi) northwest of the town of Dengfeng in Henan province, China. Situated at the bottom of the Yuzhu Peak of Mount Song, the monastery claims to be the descendant of the second Buddhist monastery constructed in China. However, the type of Buddhism espoused before the revolution was Chan, which had not yet evolved in the time of the monastery's legendary founding.

Lingyan Temple is a Buddhist temple located in Changqing District, Jinan, Shandong Province, China, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of the city of Tai'an. The temple grounds are situated in a valley on the western edge of the Taishan range. The Lingyan Temple has a long recorded history, and was one of the main temples in China during the times of the Tang and Song Dynasties. Its most renowned landmarks are the 11th century Pìzhī-tǎ and the Qiānfó-diàn which houses a Ming dynasty bronze Buddha statue as well as 40 painted clay statues of life-size luohan from the Song dynasty.

The Tianning Temple, is a Buddhist temple located in Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China, is noted for its giant pagoda, the Tianning Pagoda (天宁宝塔/天寧宝塔). Construction began in April 2002 with the opening ceremony for the completed structure held on April 30, 2007, where a crowd of hundreds of Buddhist monks gathered for the ceremony. With 13 stories and a height of 153.79 metres (505 ft), this is now the tallest pagoda in the world, taller than China's tallest existent pre-modern Buddhist pagoda, the Liaodi Pagoda built in 1055 at a height of 84 m (275 ft). Although the existing pagoda was built by April 2007, the temple grounds and the pagoda have a history of construction and destruction for the past 1,350 years, since the time of the Tang dynasty (618–907). Building of the pagoda was proposed by the Buddhist Association of China in 2001, yet providing money donations for the temple was an international effort, as leaders of 108 Buddhist associations and temples worldwide attended the opening ceremony at the temple.

The Baoguang Temple is located in Xindu district 18 km north of Chengdu, Sichuan province, China. It was founded during the Tang dynasty.

The architecture of Myanmar, in Southeast Asia, includes architectural styles which reflect the influence of neighboring and Western nations and modernization. The country's most prominent buildings include Buddhist pagodas, stupas and temples, British colonial buildings, and modern renovations and structures. Myanmar's traditional architecture is primarily used for worship, pilgrimage, storage of Buddhist relics, political activism and tourism.

The Wuying Pagoda, also known as the Xingfu Temple Pagoda and The Thousand Year-Old Pagoda of Wuhan, is a Buddhist pagoda in Wuchang, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. Built of stone 750 years ago during the final years of the Southern Song Dynasty, it is the oldest standing architectural feature in Wuhan. Wuying Pagoda is a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level.

Tayuan Temple is located in the central area of Taihuai town in Mount Wutai, Shanxi Province, China. Tayuan Temple was originally a stupa of Xiantong Temple. The stupa, named the Great White Pagoda, was constructed in the 6th year of DaDe reign of the Yuan dynasty. In the 5th year of Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty (1407AD), it was expanded to a temple and got its name as Tayuan Temple. It is listed in the Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected in Shanxi Province, China.

Caotang Temple is a Buddhist temple located on the north hillside of Mount Guifeng, in Huyi District of Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.

The Four Treasures of Hebei are four artifacts of high historical value located in Hebei, China. They include the Great Bodhisattva of Zhengding, the Anji Bridge, the Liaodi Pagoda, and the Iron Lion of Cangzhou.

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External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pagodas in China .

• Oriental architecture.com
• Culzean Pagoda (Monkey House) – the only stone built pagoda in Britain
• "Why so few Japanese pagodas have ever fallen down" ( The Economist )
• Chinese pagoda gallery (211 pics)
• The Bei-Hai (Beijing), The Flower Pagoda (Guangdong), The Great Gander Pagoda (Xian), The White Pagoda (Liaoyang)
• The Songyue Pagoda at China.org.cn
• Structure of Pagodas, including the underground palace, base, body and steeple, at China.org.cn
• The Herbert Offen Research Collection of the Phillips Library at the Peabody Essex Museum