Shengshou Temple Pagoda

CHINA, Shaanxi, Xi’an

This pagoda is also known as Manifested Bodhisattva Relic Pagoda and is located to the north of the Great Hero Hall in Shengshou Temple. It was built during the Sui dynasty (581–618) and is one of the oldest pagodas still standing in China. It was listed as a National Cultural Heritage Site in 2006.
The seven-story brick pagoda is 29.5 m high and stands on a square base. There are arched doorways on alternate sides. The eaves consist of brick corbeling with two courses of dogtooth bricks. From the second story upwards there are brick architraves, bracket sets, and pilasters built to imitate a wooden structure. Every side is divided into three sections by pilasters. The roof is in the form of a square pyramid with seven iron stacked rings directly above it. The iron finial is shaped like an octagonal pyramid. There were once wooden stairs that allowed access to the top but they no longer exist.