Tianning Temple Pagoda
Tianning Temple Pagoda
CHINA, Henan, Anyang
The style of the pagoda is rather unusual and rarely seen among Chinese pagodas, with the upper stories wider than the lower stories. According to a stele inscription, it was already in existence in 952 during the Later Zhou dynasty. It was listed as a National Cultural Heritage Site in 2001.
The five-story, octagonal, south-facing pagoda is 38.5 m high and is made of timber and brick. The first story of the pagoda is particularly high, measuring 10.5 m, with arched doors alternating with vertical bar windows on each face. High reliefs depicting Buddhist themes decorate the upper half of the first story. Under the eaves, there are imitation wooden bracket sets. Each story has four alternating arched openings for ventilation. The spire is 10.8 m high and consists of an inverted bowl shape stupa.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Architecture T-Z, page 1126.
Cite this article:
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Johnson, Peter and Mankuang and Lancaster, Lewis,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Architecture T-Z},
pages = 1126,
title = {{Tianning Temple Pagoda}},
volume = 4,
year = {2016}}