pagoda
(noun)
An Asian religious building, especially a multistory Buddhist tower, erected as a shrine or temple.
Examples of pagoda in the following topics:
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Architecture during the Six Dynasties Period
- The Chinese transformed the rounded earthen mound of the stupa into the towering pagoda to house the sacred buried relics of Buddha at its core.
- The Songyue Pagoda built in 523 is the oldest extant pagoda in China; its use of brick instead of wood had much to do with its endurance throughout the centuries.
- The perimeter of the pagoda decreases as it rises, as this is seen in Indian and Central Asian Buddhist cave temple pillars and the later round pagodas in China.
- A circular-based stone-constructed Buddhist pagoda built in 523 CE during the Southern and Northern Dynasties period of the Six Dynasties.
- It is the oldest existent stone Chinese pagoda, although wooden Chinese pagodas that existed beforehand have since been worn down and destroyed.
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Horyuji Temple
- The western part of the temple contains the Kondō (sanctuary hall) and the temple's five-story pagoda.
- The five-story pagoda, located in the Sai-in area and standing at 32.45 meters (122 feet), is one of the oldest wooden buildings in the world.
- The wood used in the pagoda's center pillar is estimated through a dendrochronological analysis to have been felled in 594.
- Although the pagoda is five-storied, it does not allow one to climb up inside but is rather designed to inspire people with its external view.
- The kondō, located side-by-side to the pagoda in Sai-in, is another one of the oldest wood buildings extant in the world.
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Architecture and Art in the Unified Silla Period
- Two pagodas on the ground, the Seokgatap and Dabotap, are also unique examples of Silla masonry and artistry.
- There are two pagodas on the temple site, which is unusual.
- The three-story Seokgatap (Sakyamuni Pagoda), which stands at 8.2 meters, is a traditional Korean-style stone pagoda with simple lines and minimal detailing.
- Dabotap (Many Treasure Pagoda) is 10.4 meters tall and dedicated to the Many Treasures Buddha mentioned in the Lotus Sutra.
- Daeungjeon, the Hall of Great Enlightenment, is the main hall; the Dabotap and Seokgatap pagodas stand before this hall.
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Burmese Art
- Burma is particularly renowned for its richness of Buddhist architecture, and is justifiably called "The Land of Pagodas," as Buddhist monasteries and gilded pagodas dot the landscape.
- These solid stupas served as models for later pagodas.
- Three or four rectangular terraces served as the base for a pagoda, often decorated by a gallery of terracotta tiles depicting the Jataka tales.
- One of the earliest examples of Pagan temple architecture is the Shwezigon Pagoda in Nyaung-U.
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Architecture during the Tang Dynasty
- The earliest examples of this transition can be seen in building projects such as the Zhaozhou Bridge (completed in 605) or the Xumi Pagoda (built in 636); nevertheless, stone and brick architecture is known to have been used in the subterranean tomb architecture of earlier dynasties.
- Seventeen sculptures share the hall's interior space with a small stone pagoda.
- This square-base stone and brick pagoda was built in the year 636 CE during the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
- The monastery that once surrounded the pagoda, however, has largely been destroyed, with the exception of a few structures.
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Japanese Buddhism
- From 711, numerous temples and monasteries were built in the capital city of Nara, including a five-story pagoda, the Golden Hall of the Horyuji, and the Kōfuku-ji temple.
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Definitions of Religion
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Chinese Influences in Vietnamese Art
- The One Pillar Pagoda, for example, was built in 1049 and is widely regarded as one of Vietnam's most iconic Buddhist temples.
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Religion Under the Tang Dynasty
- A Christian monastery was established in Shaanxi province where the Daqin Pagoda still stands, and inside the pagoda there is Christian-themed artwork.
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Cast-Iron Architecture
- Cast iron has been used for centuries; it was first used in pagoda construction in Tang Dynasty China.