Pagoda

Have you ever heard about Pagoda? Let us learn about what is Pagoda in detail. A pagoda is a multi-tiered structure seen in Nepal, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and other Asian countries. Most pagodas were constructed for religious purposes, most commonly Buddhist but occasionally Taoist, and were frequently found in or near viharas. The pagoda can be traced back to an old Indian stupa.

Pagodas are a classic Chinese architectural feature. Aside from religious purposes, Chinese pagoda meanings have long been appreciated for the breathtaking vistas they provide, and numerous classical poetry attests to the pleasure of mounting pagodas.

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According to Chinese accounts, Araniko, an architect, was the one who brought the pagoda to China. As a result, Nepal is the most likely origin of the pagoda (or Kathmandu Valley).

Wood was used to construct the earliest and tallest pagodas, but brick and stone were used to construct the majority of those that remained. Some pagodas are completely solid and have no inside. The inside of a hollow pagoda frequently has an altar or a miniature pagoda, as well as a set of steps allowing the visitor to ascend and watch the view from an aperture on one side of each tier. Most feature three to thirteen levels (nearly usually an odd number), as well as the traditional progressive tiered eaves.

Other religious constructions may be referred to by the name in various nations. Due to French translation, the English term pagoda has become a more generic name for a house of worship in Vietnam and Cambodia, even though pagoda is not an adequate phrase to describe a Buddhist vihara. The stupa's architectural structure has expanded throughout Asia, taking on many different shapes unique to each area. Pagodas have a strong impact on many Philippine bell towers, thanks to Chinese labourers employed by the Spaniards.

Pagoda Meaning

One possible derivation is based on a South Chinese pronunciation of the word for an eight-cornered tower and is supported by the name of a renowned pagoda visited by many early European travellers to China, the "Pázhōu tǎ", located immediately south of Guangzhou at Whampoa Anchorage. Persian butkada is another possible derivation, derived from but, "idol," and kada, "temple, habitation."

Another derivation, which may be found in several English language dictionaries, is modern English pagoda from Portuguese (through Dravidian), from Sanskrit bhagavati, feminine of bhagavat, "blessed," from bhag, "good fortune." 

Another origin comes from the Sinhala term dgaba, which is derived from the Sanskrit dhtugarbha or Pali dhtugabbha: "relic womb/chamber" or "reliquary shrine," i.e. a stupa.

Origin of Pagoda

Until the first century, there was no Chinese name for a pagoda. The explanation for this is that this new style of building was brought to China only after Buddhism had spread throughout the country.

The origin of pagodas, like Buddhism, may be traced back to India. Buddhist literature explains the relationship between Buddhism and pagodas, stating that pagodas were initially erected to preserve the remains of Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism. 

When Sakyamuni's corpse was burned after his death, his followers noticed that his ashes crystallized into indestructible sparkling beads, according to Buddhist scripture. They were referred to as sarira, or Buddhist relics, together with his hair, teeth, and bones. Later, the bones of other well-known Buddhist monks were also referred to as sarira. Because such expensive shining beads were rarely discovered among the ashes of cremated Buddhist monks, other items such as gold, silver, and crystal objects or precious stones were utilised instead.

Pagoda (or stupa) signified the grave in Sanskrit. Before the pagoda was introduced to China, it had already been in use in India for a long time. Pagodas were erected in grottoes or temples to give sacrifices to people's ancestors in addition to acting as graves. There were around twenty distinct variations of the Indian term for pagoda when it was first translated into Chinese. Ruan Yuan (1764-1849), a prominent Qing Dynasty scholar, described the history of the pagoda's evolution in China in his essay "On the Characteristics of Pagodas," which was included in his Yan Jing Shi Ji (Collection of Essays from Yan Jing Studio). 

He said that throughout the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220), both Sakyamuni's religion and its preachers were referred to as futu. Their house and place of worship were a seven or nine-story structure encircled by bannisters. This type of structure was known as a stupa in Sanskrit. When the Buddhist scriptures were translated into Chinese from Jin through the Southern and Northern Dynasties (265-589), there was no counterpart for the Hindu term for a pagoda in the Chinese language, nor was there anything in China akin to the unusual construction. As a result, a new Chinese character was developed to represent the Buddhist tower or pagoda.

Features of Pagoda

The sequence of massive projecting roofs stacked one over the other is the most remarkable architectural element in Nepalese architecture. They have a square plan and shrink in size from the bottom to the top. In Kathmandu, two and three-tiered pagodas were the most prevalent; nevertheless, there are several single tiered, three four-tiered, and even five-tiered pagodas. The roof extension shields the walls from heavy monsoon rain and direct sunshine. Although the roof overhang of a residential structure is only approximately one meter, the roof overhang of a temple can be up to four meters.

The form of a pagoda roof is determined by the structure's plan shape. Square pagodas are the most prevalent, but we also have rectangular, octagonal, and circular pagodas. The roofs of the pagodas are slanted and overhang from the inner cella walls. They are supported on the outside by wooden struts attached to wooden pillars or brick walls.

Various Pagoda Temples Around the World

• Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Xian, China: The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, also known as the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, is a massive Buddhist pagoda in southern Xi'an, Shaanxi, China. It was originally five storeys tall and was erected in 648/649 during the Tang dynasty. It was rebuilt in 704 during Empress Wu Zetian's reign, and its outer brick facade was restored during the Ming dynasty.

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• Yellow Crane Pagoda, Wuhan, China: Yellow Crane Tower, located in Wuhan, is a classic Chinese tower. The current building was constructed in 1981; however, the tower has existed in various configurations since AD 223. The present Yellow Crane Tower stands 51.4 meters (169 feet) tall and has a floor space of 3,219 square meters (34,650 sq ft). It is located one kilometre distant from the original location, on the banks of the Yangtze River in Wuchang District, on Snake Hill.

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• Tran Quoc Pagoda, Hanoi, Vietnam: Tran Quoc Pagoda, Vietnam's oldest Buddhist shrine, is located on a tiny island on the southeastern edge of Hanoi's West Lake.

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• Toji Pagoda, Kyoto, Japan: Toji is a Shingon Buddhist temple in Kyoto's Minami-Ku neighbourhood. It was one of just three Buddhist temples permitted in the city when it became Japan's capital in 796. As such, it has a lengthy history, containing artefacts and papers from the early Heian period and the Tang dynasty, as well as structures from the Kamakura, Muromachi, Momoyama, and Edo periods in its complex. Five of these structures have been declared National Treasures in two categories: the Lotus Flower Gate (rengemon), the Miei Hall (mieid), the Golden Hall (kond), the five-story Pagoda (gojnot) and the Kanchiin Guest Hall (temple buildings) (kanchiin kyakuden).

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• Taoist Temple, Cebu Philippines: Cebu Taoist Temple is a Taoist temple in Cebu City, Philippines, located in the Beverly Hills Subdivision. The temple was constructed in 1972 by Cebu's large Filipino-Chinese population. The temple is a towering, multi-tiered, multi-hued monument accessible by three distinct meandering pathways at an elevation of 110 metres (360 ft) above sea level.

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