Kaiming Temple Pagoda

CHINA, Shaanxi, Hanzhong

The temple and pagoda were built during the rule of Emperor Xuanzong (reigned 712–756) of the Tang dynasty. Repairs were carried out in the Southern Song (1127–1279), Ming (1368–1644), and Qing (1644–1911) dynasties. The temple no longer exists. It was listed as a National Cultural Heritage Site in 2006.
The 13-tier, square, hollow, brick pagoda is 31.2 m high. The Sumeru base is 6 m wide. The entrance is on the north wall of the first tier and leads to a small rectangular chamber, which is just 1.5 m on each side and 3 m high. The door on the south wall is fake. The eaves are in the form of corbeling with a course of dogtooth bricks below. The corners of each eave are slightly upturned. A small Buddha niche is located on each side of each tier, so altogether there are 52 niches. Initially a Buddha statue was enshrined within each niche, but most of them are now missing. Flanking each niche there are miniature pagodas. On the second and third tiers, the walls in between the niches and pagodas are engraved with images of dragons, phoenixes, lions, qilins, and floral patterns. The roof is constructed from reverse corbeling made from gray bricks. The spire is in the form of an inverted bowl. Since there have not been any major alterations to the pagoda, it retains its original Tang dynasty (618–907) appearance.