Responsibility
(author): Bào Jiāshēng 鮑 家聲 ; (author): ; (editor): Lài Yǒnghǎi 賴 永海
Title
(chi): 中國佛教百科全書(chi): Zhōngguó fójiào bǎikē quánshū(eng): Encyclopedic Book collection of Chinese Buddhism
Details
(place)Shanghai: (publisher)Shanghai guji chubanshe, 2000
Identifier
BAO JIASHENG 2000
Comments
Information basis
CA
Electronic Version
Referred from
TEMPLE: 塔 (p.39)[ is a translation of skr. stuupa. Originally stuupa was used for the places where the remains of SSakyamuuni were supposed to be stored. Eventually stuupas were also erected at places where things like Buddhist scriptures, relicts, etc. were buried. Basically there were several kinds of stuupa types transmitted to China. The earliest ta3 was erected in the Ba2ima3 白馬 monastery in Luo4ya2ng, a wooden stuupa in the center of the temple. In the second century the first nine-storied wooden pagodas appeared which eventually became very popular in China. Between the Eastern Han and the Six Dynasties the erection of pagodas became common in China (in LUOYANG QIELANJI ca. 17 pagodas are mentioned. In Fa3-yua4n zhu1-li2n 法苑珠林 more than 1,000 pagodas in the area of Mt. Wu3ta2i 五台 alone are mentioned). During the time of the Six Dynasties certain features became common for the building of a pagoda, e.g. six stories, rectangular shape, each side having three gates and six windows, the colour of the gate usually being bright; several bells on top and in other places of the pagoda, etc. At that time pagodas were erected on a large basement symbolizing Mt. Sumeru (i.e. the Buddhist center of the world) and the pagoda itself was made of wood. However, there was also a small number of stone pagodas built during the Northern Wei which influenced the architecture of stone-pagodas which became popular during and after the Tang. The earliest preserved brick pagoda (zhua1n-ta3 磚塔) dates form 523 (Northern Wei), with 12 sides, built of yellow bricks. During the Sui and Tang, the building of pagodas reached new heights and the shape and size of pagodas became even more diversified. During the Five Dynasties period especially in South-China numberless pagodas were built. Wheras the pagoda was the central structure in monasteries during the Six Dynasties period, pagodas during the Tang did not have this function any longer. From this period only a small number of wooden pagodas servived; however there are many brick-pagodas still existing from that time. The prevailing shape was still rectangular and there were three main types of pagoda buildings. Most of the pagodas preserved from the Tang period are tomb pagodas (mu4-ta3 墓塔) of monks and ta3 in ZTJ usually refers to this type of pagoda. Most of those are built of stone or brick. The most regular type is rectangular, but some consist of six or eight angles or are built in a round shape. The size of these pagodas is not very big and most of them have a height of three to four meters....]