A pagoda is a tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist, but sometimes Taoist, and were often located in or near viharas. The pagoda traces its origins to the stupa, while its design was developed in ancient India. Chinese pagodas are a traditional part of Chinese architecture. In addition to religious use, since ancient times Chinese pagodas have been praised for the spectacular views they offer, and many classical poems attest to the joy of scaling pagodas.
Mount Putuo is an island in Putuo District, Zhoushan, Zhejiang, China. It is a renowned site in Chinese Buddhism and is the bodhimaṇḍa of the bodhisattva Guanyin.
Mount Wutai, also known by its Chinese name Wutaishan and as Mount Qingliang, is a sacred Buddhist site at the headwaters of the Qingshui in Shanxi Province, China. Its central area is surrounded by a cluster of flat-topped peaks or mesas roughly corresponding to the cardinal directions. The north peak is the highest and is also the highest point in North China.
Bodhimaṇḍa or daochang is a term used in Buddhism meaning the "position of awakening". According to Haribhadra, it is "a place used as a seat, where the essence of enlightenment is present".
Mount Jiuhua located in Chizhou, Anhui Province in China is an important Buddhist site and natural scenic spot. It is one of the four famous Buddhist mountains in China, one of the first batch of 5A level scenic spots in China, one of the first batch of natural and cultural heritage sites in China, and the main scenic spot of "two mountains and one lake" tourism development strategy in Anhui Province. The planned area of the scenic spot is 120 square kilometers, and the protected area is 174 square kilometers, which is composed of 11 scenic spots.
The most important places in Buddhism are located in the Indo-Gangetic Plain of southern Nepal and northern India. This is the area where Gautama Buddha was born, lived, and taught, and the main sites connected to his life are now important places of pilgrimage for both Buddhists and Hindus. Many countries that are or were predominantly Buddhist have shrines and places which can be visited as a pilgrimage.
The Sakyamuni Pagoda of Fogong Temple of Ying County, Shanxi province, China, is a wooden Chinese pagoda. It is also known as the Wooden Pagoda of Ying County. It was constructed in 1056, during the second year of the Khitan-led Liao dynasty and was renovated and expended in 1195 during the sixth year of the Jin dynasty. The pagoda was built by Emperor Daozong of Liao (Hongji) at the site of his grandmother's family home. The pagoda, which has survived several large earthquakes throughout the centuries, reached a level of such fame within China that it was given the generic nickname of the "Muta".
The Pagoda of Cishou Temple, originally known as Yong'an Wanshou Pagoda, is a 16th-century stone and brick Chinese pagoda located in the Buddhist Cishou Temple in Balizhuang, Haidian District, Beijing.
The Tianning Temple, is a Buddhist temple located in Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China, is noted for its giant pagoda, the Tianning Pagoda (天宁宝塔/天寧宝塔). Construction began in April 2002 with the opening ceremony for the completed structure held on April 30, 2007, where a crowd of hundreds of Buddhist monks gathered for the ceremony. With 13 stories and a height of 153.79 metres (505 ft), this is now the tallest pagoda in the world, taller than China's tallest existent pre-modern Buddhist pagoda, the Liaodi Pagoda built in 1055 at a height of 84 m (275 ft). Although the existing pagoda was built by April 2007, the temple grounds and the pagoda have a history of construction and destruction for the past 1,350 years, since the time of the Tang dynasty (618–907). Building of the pagoda was proposed by the Buddhist Association of China in 2001, yet providing money donations for the temple was an international effort, as leaders of 108 Buddhist associations and temples worldwide attended the opening ceremony at the temple.
Nanchan Temple is a Buddhist temple located near the town of Doucun on Mount Wutai, Shanxi, China. Nanchan Temple was built in 782 during China's Tang dynasty, and its Great Buddha Hall is currently China's oldest preserved timber building extant, as wooden buildings are often prone to fire and various destruction. Not only is Nanchan Temple an important architectural site, but it also contains an original set of artistically important Tang sculptures dating from the period of its construction. Seventeen sculptures share the hall's interior space with a small stone pagoda.
National Key Buddhist Temples in Han Chinese Area are national key ("important") Buddhist temples in areas traditionally associated with the Han Chinese in the People's Republic of China. The list was originally released on 9 April 1983 by the State Council, and included 142 Buddhist temples, of which all in the original list are listed below.
Guangji Temple is a Buddhist temple located on the southwest hillside of Mount Zhe, in Jinghu District of Wuhu, Anhui, China. Alongside Puji Temple, Nengren Temple and Jixiang Temple, Guangji Temple is known as one of the "Four Buddhist Temples in Wuhu". Guangji Temple has been praised as "Little Mount Jiuhua". Guangji Temple experienced expansion and repair for many times and now still maintain the basic architectural pattern of the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368–1911).
The Shrine of Living Buddha is a Buddhist temple located at the Divine Light Summit (神光岭) of Mount Jiuhua, in Qingyang County, Anhui, China.
Zhiyuan Temple is a Buddhist temple located on Mount Jiuhua, in Qingyang County, Anhui, China. Alongside Ganlu Temple, Baisui Palace and Dongyan Chan Temple are honoured as the "Four Buddhist Temple on Mount Jiuhua".
Huiji Temple is a Buddhist temple located on Mount Putuo, in Zhoushan, Zhejiang, China. Huiji Temple is commonly called the temple on the Buddha Summit and it is the third largest Buddhist temple on Mount Putuo, after Puji Temple and Fayu Temple.
Lingguang Temple is a Buddhist temple located on the east hillside of Mount Cuiwei (翠微山), in the Shijingshan District of Beijing. The temple is renowned for its collection of the tooth relic of the Buddha.
Shifang Temple, also known as Guangren Temple, is a Buddhist temple located on Mount Wutai, in Taihuai Town of Wutai County, Shanxi, China.
Shanxi architecture, or Shansi architecture, or Jin architecture, refers to the architectural style of the Shanxi province in northern China. Shanxi has preserved numerous ancient architectures scattered throughout the province. All of the three remaining wooden structures preserved from Tang dynasty in China are found in Shanxi. The old buildings of Pingyao ancient city and numerous family compounds of Shanxi merchants in the Ming and Qing dynasties are representative of the architecture styles of vernacular architecture in North China. Religious temples in Mount Wutai and Yungang Grottoes in Datong exemplify the sacred buddhist architecture in China.
