Pagoda

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Pagoda

• Davis Crain

http//norman.walsh.name/2003/11/14/images/pagoda.
jpg
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Origins

• Traced to India
• Buddhist literature -originally built for the
  purpose of preserving the remains of Sakyamuni,
  the founder of Buddhism
• Sanskrit pagoda (or stupa) meant tomb
• No equivalent for the Hindu word for pagoda in
  the Chinese language
• New character was ta

http//www.chinaetravel.com/attraction/att23e.html
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stupa
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Chinese Pagodas

• Multistoried
• Originally built to preserve Buddhist relics
• Most sacred objects in the world
• Traditionally used by the ruling class to show
  off its power and wealth
• Believed to be the residences of the immortals
• Usually awe inspiring and mysterious looking

http//www.anniebees.com/China/China_44.htm
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The 3 Parts

• Top
• resembled the original image of the stupa from
  India
• Body
• used to enshrine a statue of Buddha
• various styles of traditional Chinese
  architecture
• Base
• for burying Buddhist relics
• took the form of an underground chamber

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Great Wild Goose Pagoda

• initially built in 589
• Sui Dynasty
• Wulou Temple
• 652AD
• Tang Dynasty
• Li Zhi rebuilt the temple in memory of his late
  mother, Empress Wende
• 7 story

http//www.travelchinaguide.com/images/photogaller
y/0014500/xian2010014304tm.jpg
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• Symbol of Xian
• Famous Buddhist monk
• 600 or so Buddhist texts
• 17 years for a round trip
• Wrote a book entitled "Journey to the West"
• customs of different places he visited and his
  experiences

http//www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/03310/033
10x2c.jpg
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History

• Originally
• brick structure of five stories
• Between AD 701 and AD 704
• five more stories were added
• Damage by the war reduced it to seven stories
• Now
• 64 meters high
• Base 25 meters by 25 meters

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Refrences

• http//www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shaanxi
  /xian/bigwildgoose.htm
• http//english.china.com/zh_cn/tourism/pagoda/1102
  3691/20040906/11866203.html
• http//english.china.com/zh_cn/tourism/pagoda/1102
  3691/20040906/11866195.html
• http//english.china.com/zh_cn/tourism/pagoda/1102
  3691/20040903/11863181.html
• http//english.china.com/zh_cn/tourism/pagoda/1102
  3691/20040903/11863175.html
• http//www.groveart.com/shared/views/article.html?
  fromsearchsession_search_id228217607hitnum1s
  ectionart.064601authstatuscode202
• http//www.chinaetravel.com/attraction/att23e.html