pagoda (pəgō`də), name given in the East to a variety of buildings of tower form that are usually part of a temple or monastery group and serve as shrines. Those of India (see stupa stupa [Sanskrit,=mound], Buddhist monument in tumulus, or mound, form, often containing relics. The words tope and dagoba are synonymous, though the latter properly refers only to a Sinhalese Buddhist stupa.
..... Click the link for more information. ) are chiefly pyramidal structures of masonry, tapering to an apex and elaborately adorned with carving and sculpture. In China the pagoda, derived from India, is one of the most characteristic architectural types and in general is devoted to sacred usage. Octagonal, hexagonal, or square in plan, they are built in superimposed stories, sometimes as many as 15; from each story projects an upward-curving tiled roof. The material most commonly used is brick, often faced with slabs of glazed and colored tile. A few date back to the T'ang dynasty (A.D. 618–906). In Japan the pagodas were introduced from China with Buddhism. They are usually square in plan and five stories high, each story having its projecting roof. Generally made of wood, they exhibit superb carpentry craftsmanship. The Horyu-ji tower near Nara, of the 7th cent., is a noted example.
Towerlike multistoried structure of stone, brick, or wood, usually associated with a Buddhist temple complex and enshrining sacred relics. The pagoda evolved from the Indian stupa. The pagoda's crowning ornament is pyramidal or conical in Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos and bottle-shaped in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. In other parts of China and in Korea and Japan, a pagoda is a tall tower repeating a basic story unit in diminishing proportions. The stories may be circular, square, or polygonal. The pagoda form is intended mainly as a monument and has very little usable interior space.
pagoda
Pagoda
..... Click the link for more information. ) are chiefly pyramidal structures of masonry, tapering to an apex and elaborately adorned with carving and sculpture. In China the pagoda, derived from India, is one of the most characteristic architectural types and in general is devoted to sacred usage. Octagonal, hexagonal, or square in plan, they are built in superimposed stories, sometimes as many as 15; from each story projects an upward-curving tiled roof. The material most commonly used is brick, often faced with slabs of glazed and colored tile. A few date back to the T'ang dynasty (A.D. 618–906). In Japan the pagodas were introduced from China with Buddhism. They are usually square in plan and five stories high, each story having its projecting roof. Generally made of wood, they exhibit superb carpentry craftsmanship. The Horyu-ji tower near Nara, of the 7th cent., is a noted example.
pagoda
)
A square pagoda of the Daigo Temple, Kyoto, Japan.
(credit: Manley Features/Shostal Associates)
pagoda
an Indian or Far Eastern temple, esp a tower, usually pyramidal and having many storeys
pagoda
A multistoried shrine-like tower, originally a Buddhist monument crowned by a stupa. Stories may be open pavilions of wood with balconies and pent roofs (prevalent in Japan) or built-in masonry, of diminishing size with corbeled cornices.
Pagoda
a type of Buddhist religious structure in the Far East. Repositories of Buddhist relics, pagodas serve as memorials and also mark “holy” places. Some are in the form of pavilions or towers (often many-tiered), and others are in the form of obelisks. Usually four-, six-, eight-, or 12-sided, they may be built of wood, brick, stone, or metal. The pagoda as a type of architecture developed during the early centuries of the Common Era in China and later spread to Vietnam, Korea, and Japan.
REFERENCE
Boerschmann, E. Die Baukunst und religiöse Kultur der Chinesen, vol. 3, part 1: Pagoden. [Berlin] 1931.How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
| ?Page tools | ||
|---|---|---|
|