Xianyou Temple Fawang Pagoda

CHINA, Shaanxi, Xi’an

The pagoda was built on the grounds of Xianyou Temple, which no longer exists. The pagoda was built in 601 and is one of the few surviving pagodas from the Sui dynasty (581–618). The temple was originally an imperial lodge belonging to Emperor Wen (reigned 581–604) and was constructed in 598. The lodge was later converted to a temple in 601 and a pagoda was built to enshrine a relic of the Buddha. The pagoda was listed as a National Cultural Heritage Site in 1996.
The seven-story, square, brick pagoda is around 35 m high. The base is 8.7 m wide. There are arched doorways on the south side of each story. A square chamber is located on the first story, while the rest of the pagoda is hollow. The eaves consist of corbeling with courses of dogtooth bricks below. The spire is missing along with the wooden staircase inside. In 1999 when the pagoda was being dismantled, three relics were found between the second and third stories. Ten more relics and a stone stele were later discovered in the underground palace of the pagoda. The inscription on the stele records the year and month in which the pagoda was built.