Pagoda
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
Related e |
Featured: |
A pagoda is the general term in the English language for a tiered tower, built in the traditions originating in historic East Asia or with respect to those traditions, with multiple eaves common in Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Burma and other parts of Asia. Some pagodas are used as Taoist houses of worship. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most commonly Buddhist, and were often located in or near viharas. This term may refer to other religious structures in some countries. In Vietnam and Cambodia, due to French translation, the English term pagoda is a more generic term referring to a place of worship, although pagoda is not an accurate word to describe a Buddhist vihara. The modern pagoda is an evolution of the Ancient Nepal stupa, a tomb-like structure where sacred relics could be kept safe and venerated.
See also
- Architecture of the Song Dynasty
- Chinese architecture
- Chinese pagodas
- Tō – Japanese pagodas
- Chaitya
- Cetiya
- Vihara
- Stupa
- Gongbei - Chinese Muslim mausoleum with pagoda-style architecture