About Pagodas

Pagodas originated as Buddhist religious structures and can be found throughout East Asia. They are still used as religious centers there, while pagoda-style structures have become popular in the West as decorative garden buildings and pieces of architecture.

The pagoda as we now know it originated in India. Dome-shaped structures called stupas were used as tombs. Specifically, the stupa of the Buddhist saint Sakyamuni influenced all later pagodas. When Sakyamuni died, his cremated remains were venerated as relics and the stupa erected to house them became a place of worship. Indian Buddhists began using stupas to house the relics of other saints, as well as sacred writings. Stupas became a focus of Buddhist practice in India.

When Buddhism reached China in the first century C.E., the stupa came with it. Over time, the newly erected stupas began to take on the traditional forms of Chinese architecture. Many early Chinese pagodas were built on square or circular bases and were most often constructed of wood. Due to the susceptibility of wood to rot and weathering, very few wooden pagodas survive, and the oldest one now extant is from the 12th century. During the 4th through the 7th centuries, brick and stone replaced wood as the primary building materials, and octagonal bases became predominant. It was also in China that pagodas began to develop their characteristic multitiered roofs with up-swept gables. Pagodas in China were mainly used as part of Buddhist or Taoist temple complexes.

From China, the pagoda and its distinct style of architecture spread to other parts of Eastern Asia. Pagodas are common in Japan, where they are prominent in Buddhist temples. Pagodas can also be found all over Korea, Vietnam and Thailand. To this day, Myanmar (formerly Burma) is called "The Land of Pagodas" because of the vast numbers of pagodas that dot the countryside.

During the 18th century, pagodas became popular as decorative buildings, especially in England. Pagodas were built in formal gardens to lend the surroundings an air of the exotic and mysterious. Though stripped of all their religious overtones and functions, pagodas became synonymous with the mysterious, far-off East. The Victorians, both in England and America, pagodas became popular as centerpieces in public parks. They were used as bandstands and meeting places for the public. Many examples of these purely decorative pagodas can still be seen, such as the one in London's Kew Gardens. Many people also used scaled-downed versions of pagodas as gazebos in their gardens or backyards. These garden pagodas are still popular today for their decorative elements.

Beyond their popularity in the West as outdoor ornaments, pagodas are making a resurgence in Asia in the form of modern, glass-and-steel skyscrapers. Taipei 101 in Taiwan is a prime example of this trend; it is built with the traditional tiered structure, bringing an ancient architectural form into the modern age.

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