Pagoda Songyue Temple

Located in the Songyue Temple 5 kilometers away from the northwest of Dengfeng City and at the south foot of Mt Songshan, Pagoda Songyue Temple, National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit, was built in 523, having a history of 1,400 years. It is the oldest pagoda covered with bricks in the extant pagoda. The pagoda is famous not only for its unique shape but also for its beautiful contour.

History

Originally constructed in 520 during the Northern Dynasties, Songyue Temple was originally named as the Xianju (Leisure Residence Temple) Temple. It is said that the temple was the summer or winter palace for Emperors Xuanwu and Xiaoming in the Northern Wei Dynasty. As Buddhism boomed, the palace was changed to a temple. In the early Tang Dynasty, the temple got the present name and was expanded several times.

Visiting Guide

Pagoda Songyue Temple is coated with lime. The external is multi-eaved style and the inside is pavilion style. 41 meters high and 33.72 meters in perimeter, Pagoda Songyue Temple has a plane of equilateral twelve angles. The central tower room is an octagonal tower room 7.6 meters wide and 2.45 meters thick of the bottom brick tower wall. The chamber of the tower is set Buddha used for monks and pilgrims around the tower to make worship.

Pagoda Songyue Temple consists of tower foundation, body and 15 stacked brick eaves. The foundation is 0.85 meters high and 1.6 meters wide. In front of the tower is built a rectangular platform. The pagoda is divided into two parts connected by a waist eave. The lower section is 3.59 meters high and is relatively simple. The upper section is 3.73 meters high as the best decorative tower. The east, west south, and north are surrounded by the separate door leading to the ventricle of the tower.