China - Table of Contents ........... Chinese Architecture Dictionary........... Architecture Around the World
The Small Wild Goose Pagoda
Xi'an, China
  Pagodas ...... Chinese Buddhism |
Buildings  Entrance  Entrance. Detail below:  Entrance - detail. Flying eaves ... Flanking roof dragons (chiwen) ... Waves for protecting the building from fire ... Functional and decorative tile-ends Additional detail below:  Entrance - detail. Flying eaves ... Flanking roof dragons (chiwen) ... Waves for protecting the building from fire ... Functional and decorative tile-ends  Pagoda steps   Ends destroyed by earthquake  |
History  No. 1 Great Stupa of Sanchi [India] built in the 3rd Century BC at the order of King Asoka. First drawing below is of this stupa. A stupa
is a mound-like or semi-hemispherical structure containing Buddhist
relics, typically the ashes of Buddhist monks, used by Buddhists as a
place of meditation. Stupas originated as pre-Buddhist earthen burial
mounds, in which ascetics were buried in a seated position, called chaitya.
 The Small Wild Goose Pagoda - a transformation from the Indian stupa (above) to the Chinese pagoda with densely arranged eaves (below).       Note end of eaves damaged by earlier earthquake   |
