Songyue si
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Alternative Title
Songyue Temple
Date
519-525Description
The Songyue Temple (Songyue si), at the foot of Mt Taishi in the Mt Song region, was founded under the Northern Wei. Originally an imperial residence, it was converted to a Buddhist temple in the 520s. It has one of the oldest brick pagodas in China, dating to the Zhengguang reign period (ad 519–25). The pagoda (see China, fig. 17) is 12-sided and multi-storey; the main upper storey has windows on each side with lotus arches. The ornamental brickwork is unusual and thought to be influenced by the contemporary architectural style of Gupta India (4th–5th centuries ad). The other remaining buildings in the temple are of later date. plan (drawing)
Type of Work
Temple; Pagoda (Building)Subject
Brickwork, Buddhism, Pagodas, Octagonal, Architecture, Buddhist, Temples, Buddhist, Architecture, Chinese
Rights
Rights Statement
All rights reserved
Item is Part of
127308