Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, Datong, China

 

We visited this the same day we did the Hanging Temple.  This pagoda was built in 1056 during the Liao Dynasty (916–1125) and is not too far from Datong. It is the oldest all-wood pagoda in China, as well as the only Buddhist temple that was totally built with wood.It is also called Sakyamuni Pagoda of Fogong Temple.  Clocking in at 220 Feet, it is the tallest all wood pagoda in the world.

As a masterpiece of Chinese timber construction, Yingxian Wooden Pagoda is octagonal in shape, and was built without the help of a single nail, screw, or bolt. Its unique construction employs fifty-four different kinds of bracket arms.  It is one of the most complex examples of roof construction in China, and, indeed, in the world. Certainly, it is the most complex example of roof construction of any building constructed during the Liao Dynasty.  This pagoda appears to have five floors from the outside. But actually it is nine-story. There is a hidden floor every two floors.  Each floor is adorned with a plump and amiable statue of Buddha. The four-faceted Buddha symbolizes the infinite knowledge and wisdom of Buddha. It is said that his gaze can pierce any object, or "see through" appearances to the core, as it were.

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