Bulguksa Temple Prabhutaratna Pagoda

SOUTH KOREA, North Gyeongsang, Gyeongju

This pagoda is located on the east side of the Great Hero Hall. Prabhutaratna, meaning Many Treasures, refers to Prabhutaratna Buddha. It is also known as Shadow Pagoda, in contrast to the Shadowless Pagoda. The pagoda was built in 751 during the Unified Silla dynasty. It was listed as National Treasure No. 20 in 1962. As part of Bulguksa Temple, it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995.
The 10.4 m high pagoda is built in granite. The base platform consists of large blocks of stone with large supporting pillars. There are staircases leading up to the pagoda base on all four sides. The base of the pagoda comprises four massive square stone pillars with a fifth pillar at the center. On top of the corner pillars there are bracket sets supporting the eaves. There used to be four lions, one on each side, guarding the base of the pagoda but only one is extant. The first tier of the pagoda body has pillars surrounding the central cylindrical part, with a square balustrade on the outer edge. The second tier has bamboo-shape stone pillars around the center supporting an upturned lotus. The tier is enclosed by a balustrade. The third tier is octagonal with lotus-shaped pillars supporting an octagonal pyramidal roof. The spire consists of an octagonal harmika, a bowl, an upright lotus, stacked rings, a canopy and a finial in the form of a jewel.