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Pagodas, tower-like structures developed from Indian stupas, are used in Buddhist practice to hold sacred relics. They can be found in various shapes throughout East and Southeast Asia, with many famous examples in China, Vietnam, and Japan, including the Shaolin temple complex, Haibao Pagoda, Tiger Hill Pagoda, and Horyuji Pagoda.
Developed from the ancient Indian stupa, the pagoda is a multi-storied stone, brick or wooden structure that is tower-like. In Buddhist practice, this form came to be regarded as an appropriate repository for sacred relics and spread throughout East and Southeast Asia.
Buddhist pagodas can be found with pyramidal or conical shapes in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand, while the descending tower built with identical units that decrease in size is found in China, Korea and Japan. The latter type of pagoda is the type with the distinctive roof feature extended to each level and functions more like a monument, typically having little or no space inside.
Many pagodas are famous for both their historical importance and their beauty. Some of the more notable pagodas include the following.
China has many famous pagodas. The 1982-year-old Shaolin temple complex is famed as China’s birthplace of martial arts and its many pagodas. With even more accolades to come after the 1988 film Jet Li Shaolin Temple, the temple complex opened to tourists in 2006. A broken water pipe in 20 damaged more than XNUMX pagodas, including the oldest.
Haibao Pagoda, Sea Treasure Pagoda in English, in Yinchuan City, China, is known for its incredible view of the Yellow River in the east and Mount Helan in the west. Haibao Pagoda is at least 1500 years old. Although its origins are lost in memory, it is known to have been rebuilt several times, having collapsed in earthquakes. It was last rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty in 1788 and currently stands about 177 feet (53.9 m) tall, with nine tiers.
Tiger Hill Pagoda — known as the “Leaning Tower of China”; in reference to its northwest lean and the Leaning Tower of Pisa, it is a symbol of the city of Suzhou, China. Dating back to the Northern Song Dynasty in the 10th century, it is an octahedron with seven stories and is 158 feet (48m) tall.
There are 14,000 pagodas in Vietnam, of which 45 are particularly famous. Of the six hundred pagodas in and around Hanoi, Chua Huong – the Perfume Pagoda, One Pillar Pagoda, Tran Quoc Pagoda and Quan Su Pagoda are the best known.
Japan is home to the oldest wooden pagoda in the world, the five-story Horyuji Pagoda dating back to the 600s. It is located in Nara.
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