Guangde Temple Prabhutaratna Pagoda

CHINA, Hubei, Xiangfan

This Prabhutaratna Pagoda at Guangde Temple was built between 1494 and 1496 during the Ming dynasty. It was listed as a National Cultural Heritage Site in 1988.
The brick and stone building is divided into two sections. The overall height of the pagoda is 16.8 m. The lower section is octagonal and is 7 m high. On the sides facing the four cardinal directions there are arched doorways leading into a small octagonal chamber. There is a shallow niche containing a small seated Buddha on each side. A small octagonal brick pagoda is located at the center of the chamber. The four doors of the small pagoda are inlaid with stone niches and Buddhas. It has imitation wooden lintels and bracket sets. A small opening in the northeast wall leads to a set of narrow stone spiral steps to the roof.
The upper section consists of four three-tier, hexagonal, miniature pagodas with a Tibetan stupa at the center. The four pagodas are solid and are 6.7 m high, while the Tibetan stupa is 9.5 m high. It is unusual to see a Prabhutaratna pagoda with an octagonal lower section like this one.