Hyeonhwasa Temple Seven-Tier Pagoda
Hyeonhwasa Temple Seven-Tier Pagoda: First level of the pagoda body
Hyeonhwasa Temple Seven-Tier Pagoda
NORTH KOREA, North Hwanghae, Kaesong
The seven-tier stone pagoda was originally situated at Hyeonhwasa Temple on Yeongchusan (Vulture Peak), which is in the Jangpung county of Gaeseong city. It is now located in the Bangjik neighborhood of the same city. According to the temple stele, the pagoda was built in 1020 during the Goryeo dynasty. It is listed as National Treasure No. 139.
The 8.6 m high pagoda stands on a brick base with corner and intermediate pilasters. On the first tier there is a relief of Sakyamuni Buddha teaching the Dharma, surrounded by Bodhisattvas, Arhats and young people. There are carvings of lotus petals above the Buddha’s head. The other tiers are carved with similar images of the Buddha teaching the Dharma and flanked by attendants. The corners of the eaves are noticeably upturned, which is a feature of stone pagodas from the Goryeo dynasty (918–1392).
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Architecture G-L, page 488.
Cite this article:
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Johnson, Peter and Mankuang and Lancaster, Lewis,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Architecture G-L},
pages = 488,
title = {{Hyeonhwasa Temple Seven-Tier Pagoda}},
volume = 2,
year = {2016}}