Jingzhi Temple Pagoda: Reliquary Stupa

CHINA, Hebei, Baoding; Northern Song dynasty

Recovered from the underground palace of Jingzhi Temple Pagoda in 1969, the reliquary stupa consists of a base, body, and spire. The base stands on a decorated sheet of silver, which has been cut and rolled to form a hexagon. The Sumeru base is round with a ruyi, animals, and birds around the lower section, and a repoussé lotus forming the upper section. The hexagonal body is surrounded by a balustrade decorated with newel posts in the shape of a lotus bud. The front has a door with three rows of doornails and a lock. There are inscriptions above and below the door. On either side of the door are standing figures, possibly images of Bodhisattvas. There is a lotus bud on each corner of the roof. Wind chimes hang down from the edges of the roof. The spire consists of a large lotus bud in the middle of rows of lotus leaves.