Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda

Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda in Ding County

synonym

Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda (Hebei Dingzhou Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda) is generally designated County Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda

Ding County Kaiyuan Temple Tower, also known as the material enemy tower, because the tower was built in Kaiyuan Temple, it is commonly known as "Kaiyuan Temple Tower". Located in Kaiyuan Temple in the east of nanchengmen, Dingzhou City, Hebei Province. In the fourth year of Xianping (1001) of the Northern Song Dynasty, Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty issued an imperial edict to build a temple and a pagoda in order to worship the Buddhist scriptures and relics that can be retrieved from ancient India by the monks of Kaiyuan Temple. It took 55 years to build the temple and Pagoda in the second year of Zhihe (1055) of the Northern Song Dynasty. Dingzhou was a military important place close to the Liao and Song dynasties. In order to defend Qidan, the Song Dynasty used this tower to look at the enemy's situation, so it was named "Liaodi tower" (or "Liaodi tower").

Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda in Ding county is an octagonal pavilion building. It is a high-ranking ancient brick Pagoda in China. Its shape is dignified and majestic. Its body is eleven levels, and it shrinks from bottom to top in proportion. The inner structure of the tower is that the outer tower encircles the inner tower, and the stairs spiral from the inner tower to the top of the tower. The body of the tower is connected by the inner and outer layers, forming a unique structure of the tower. Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda in Ding county is a pagoda integrating architectural art, Buddhist culture, calligraphy and painting art, which occupies an important position in the history of ancient Chinese architecture.

On March 4, 1961, the Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda (Yaodi pagoda) in Ding county was announced by the State Council of the people's Republic of China as the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units.

Historical evolution

In the fourth year of Xianping (1001) of the Northern Song Dynasty, Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty issued an imperial edict to build temples and pagodas in order to worship the Buddhist scriptures and relics that can be retrieved from ancient India.

In 1055, Kaiyuan pagoda was built in Dingxian County, which lasted 55 years. Because the pagoda was built in Kaiyuan Temple, it is commonly known as "Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda". Dingzhou was a military important place close to the Liao and Song dynasties. In order to defend Qidan, the Song Dynasty used this tower to look at the enemy's situation, so it was named "Liaodi tower" (or "Liaodi tower").

The Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda in Ding County suffered some damage due to the thunder and lightning in 1666, the earthquake in 1679 and 1697.

In June 1884, the northeast side of Kaiyuan Temple Tower in Ding County collapsed from top to bottom, which destroyed the integrity of this ancient building.

Since 1986, the State Department of cultural relics has been repairing the Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda in Ding county.

In 2001, the overall project of Kaiyuan Temple Tower maintenance in Ding county was completed.

In 2002, Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda in Ding county was reopened to the outside world.

Architectural features

structure

Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda in Ding county is an octagonal pavilion building with 11 levels. Outside the tower, there are four doors in the positive direction and four blind windows in the side direction. The inner structure of the tower is that the outer tower encircles the inner tower, and the stairs spiral from the inner tower to the top of the tower.

The body of the tower is connected by the inner and outer layers and connected by corridors, forming a unique structure of the tower. The appearance of the tower body, the bottom attic for double eaves, bottom eaves brick, the upper layer for brick carvings, imitation wood three jump bucket arch, painted, the upper layer for overlapping out eaves, forming the tower platform.

characteristic

Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda in Dingxian County is a tall ancient brick Pagoda in China. Compared with the square form of the tower built before the yuan and Song Dynasties, it is more beautiful, plump, tall and generous.

The tower body shrinks in proportion from bottom to top.

Cultural relics

overview

The Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda in Ding county is made of brick. It is octagonal in plane and 83.7 meters high. It is composed of three parts: the base, the body and the Tasha. The body of the pagoda is eleven levels and shrinks from bottom to top in proportion.

Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda in Dingxian County is an octagonal pavilion building. The pagoda body is connected by the inner and outer layers, and is connected by an ambulatory. The whole pagoda body is like a small Pagoda in a big pagoda. The bottom attic is made of double eaves, the bottom eaves are made of brick, the upper floor is made of brick carvings, imitated wood, three jump bucket arches, painted, and the upper floor is made of overlapping eaves to form a tower platform.

The outside of the tower is painted white, the top of the tower is decorated with a honeysuckle covered bowl, on which there are iron exposed plates and bronze Tasha; inside the tower there are brick steps that can pass through the top of the tower, on the inner wall there are niches and exquisite murals; on the brick wall of the cloister there are many ancient inscriptions and chants.

Tower base

Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda in Ding county is built on a very high platform with a side length of 128 meters.

Tower body

The first floor of Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda in Ding county has a high body with flat eaves on it, while the other floors only have eaves. The eaves of the pagoda are stacked with bricks to form short eaves, and the cross section is concave and curved. The largest brick is 70 cm long, 24 cm wide and 10 cm thick; the smallest brick is 36 cm long, 78 cm wide and 70 cm thick. In order to enhance the tension between the bricks, a lot of loose wood materials were added. There are brick steps in the Central octagonal column.

The top ceiling of the second and third floors of the corridor is made of carved tiles and painted with colors. The technique is exquisite. There are niches on the two walls of the tower, in which there are murals and statues. On the wall of the corridor, there are many inscriptions and famous people's poems, which are precious calligraphy materials.

There are ticket doors on four sides below the ninth floor, blind windows with exquisite brick carvings on the other four sides, and ticket doors on eight sides on the top two floors for viewing. There are brick door forehead and hairpin on the ticket door, and the top of the ticket is decorated with Buddha light.

On the top of the tower, eight ridges and eight slopes converge to form a brick lotus pedestal, and each octagonal ridge and eaves cast a statue of Dharma God.

There are 34 inscriptions from the Northern Song Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty and several celebrity inscriptions in the Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda of Ding County: the Dougong color painting, which is called "the important remains of architectural color painting in the Northern Song Dynasty"; the frescoes of Buddhist figures in the Song Dynasty on the corridor in the Southwest of the first floor of the pagoda. There are 25 Buddhist niches on both sides of the corridor, and precious cultural relics such as Vajra Sutra letters are also found in the pagoda.

Thatsa

Ding County Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda top brake seat for cast iron lotus pattern bowl, Yang Lian, and then on the copper vase, commonly known as "tower gourd".

On the base of the Tasha, there are huge honeysuckle flowers and leaves. On the covering bowl, there are iron phase wheel and dew plate, and two bronze pearls.

History and culture

Arts and culture

Yuan Xun, a scholar of Ming Dynasty, described the pagoda of Kaiyuan Temple in Ding county

To the south of the county city is the Vatican Palace, with a sudden floating picture leaning in the air.

There is no wave in the water to see the reflection, and there is a emerald peak in Hengshan.

On the top, the Pearl trees welcome the rising sun, the eaves play the Golden Bell and listen to the evening wind.

Every time I go up to the top of the sky, I doubt that I am in the blue void.

Legends and anecdotes

According to the records of Ding county annals, the monk Ling Neng of Kaiyuan Temple in the Northern Song Dynasty went to xitianzhu to learn Buddhist scriptures and got the relic. In the fourth year of Xianping (1001), the emperor Zhenzong of Song Dynasty ordered the Temple Pagoda to be built, and in the second year of Zhihe (1055), it took 55 years. Therefore, there is a local saying that "the wood of Jiashan (in Quyang County) will be cut down and the Ding County tower will be built.". Yinding county is located in the border area of song and Liao dynasties in Song Dynasty. This tower is the frontier of xingqidan and becomes a military important place. In order to defend Qidan, the Song Dynasty used this tower to protect the enemy, so it was called "the enemy tower" and "the enemy tower". The tower is eleven stories high. It is said that Buddhism uses odd numbers to show innocence, so most pagodas are odd.

Before the Tang Dynasty, Buddhist temple buildings centered on towers, and later changed to temples. Kaiyuan Temple towers built in the Song Dynasty were naturally part of Kaiyuan Temple buildings. Because Kaiyuan Temple has no existence for a long time, only the ancient pagoda is left, so people call it "Dingxian pagoda" for short.

Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda in Ding county is also a tomb for burying Buddha bones. "Buddha bone" is the so-called "relic", which is usually buried in the Taji underground palace. However, the "relic" of Kaiyuan Pagoda in Ding county is no longer the bone of Sakyamuni, but the relic made of gold, silver, glass, crystal, agate and glass.

Cultural relic value

Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda in Ding county is an octagonal pavilion building (the pagoda built before the yuan and Song Dynasties was in the form of square). With strict structure and exquisite construction, it is a relatively high existing ancient brick Pagoda in China.

Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda in Ding County played a military role in ancient times, which provided a material material for the study of the relationship between Song Dynasty and Liao Dynasty.

Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda in Ding county is a pagoda integrating architectural art, Buddhist culture, calligraphy and painting art, which occupies an important position in the history of ancient Chinese architecture.

Cultural relics protection

On March 4, 1961, the Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda (Yaodi pagoda) in Ding county was announced by the State Council of the people's Republic of China as the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units.

Tourism information

geographical position

Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda in Dingzhou county is located in Kaiyuan Temple in the east of nanchengmen, Dingzhou City, Hebei Province.

Ticket Price

30 yuan (not allowed to climb the tower).

Traffic information

1. From Beijing Shijiazhuang Expressway Dingzhou exit westbound 2 km to.

2. Take bus No.1 at Dingzhou railway station and get off at Wenboyuan square station.

Address: Kaiyuan square, West Street, Binxian County, Xianyang City

Longitude: 108.072866

Latitude: 35.033977

Ticket information: no ticket required. You can only appreciate the appearance of the tower, not enter it.

Chinese PinYin : Kai Yuan Si Ta