Xiangji Temple Shandao Pagoda
Xiangji Temple Shandao Pagoda
CHINA, Shaanxi, Xi’an
The pagoda is located in the northwest corner of Xiangji Temple. It was built in 706 during the Tang dynasty by monk Huaiyun to commemorate his master, Shandao. It was already a famous structure during the Tang dynasty (618–907), and inspired the poet Wang Wei to compose a poem about it. The pagoda was listed as a National Cultural Heritage Site in 2001.
The eleven-story, square, hollow, brick pagoda is 33 m high and built in imitation of a wooden structure. It was originally 13 stories high. The first story is 9.5 m long. All subsequent stories become smaller with height. The eaves are in the form of corbeling with courses of dogtooth bricks underneath. The walls are divided into three bays by pilasters, which are connected by architraves with braces supporting the eaves. An arched doorway is located in the center of each story, with false vertical bar windows on each side. Wooden staircase lead to the roof.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Architecture T-Z, page 1311.
Cite this article:
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Johnson, Peter and Mankuang and Lancaster, Lewis,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Architecture T-Z},
pages = 1311,
title = {{Xiangji Temple Shandao Pagoda}},
volume = 4,
year = {2016}}