Lingquan Temple Daoping Stupas

CHINA, Henan, Anyang

The stupa was built on the grounds of Lingquan Temple, which no longer exists. There are two stupas: the one in the west is the funerary stupa of Master Daoping, while the one in the east was built to accompany it. An inscription suggests that the structures date from the Northern Qi dynasty (550–577).
Both stupas are constructed from stone and consist of three parts: a base, body, and spire. The base of the western stupa is square and consists of a blue limestone block placed on top of a larger one. The stupa body is 2.2 m high and was carved from a single blue limestone block. On the south side there is an arched entrance leading to a small, square chamber. The roof is shaped like an inverted bowl and decorated with cloud patterns. The spire consists of a square cloud-shaped harmika, three stacked rings and a jewel. The eastern stupa is basically the same, except for a slight variation in decoration. There are a number of similar funerary stupas in nearby canyons. Built after the Northern Qi dynasty, the majority of them date back to the Tang dynasty (618–907).