Kaiyuan Temple Relic Stupa
Kaiyuan Temple Relic Stupa
CHINA, Guangxi, Guilin
The stupa was built on the grounds of Kaiyuan Temple, which is now in ruins. It was originally built in 657 during the Tang dynasty. However, it collapsed and was rebuilt in 1385 during the Ming dynasty. The stupa has recently been renovated. It was listed as a Provincial Cultural Heritage Site in 1963.
The brick stupa is 12.9 m high. The lower section consists of a square elevated base with each side measuring 7 m. On each side there is a doorway and four short passageways meet at the center. The upper section is in the form of a Tibetan stupa, and it has three tiers. The first tier is the octagonal base, on each side of which there is a Buddha niche. The second tier is in the form of an inverted bowl with corbeled niches on the sides facing the four cardinal directions. The niche on the south side contains a reliquary. The third tier consists of the spire with a harmika, five stacked rings, a miniature inverted bowl, and a jewel.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Architecture G-L, page 586.
Cite this article:
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Johnson, Peter and Mankuang and Lancaster, Lewis,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Architecture G-L},
pages = 586,
title = {{Kaiyuan Temple Relic Stupa}},
volume = 2,
year = {2016}}