Pagodas

 

Ancient Chinese buildings always fascinated me. They look so mystical
in appearance, with tons of history behind them.

You still find them scattered all over the country side between new
architecture.They are tall with  many floors verandas and banisters.
It's a shame history is destroyed and replaced by new architecture.

Pagodas came into being with the rise of Buddhism.
They were built as tombs and especially for one called Sakyamuni , the founder of Buddhism.
When he was cremated, they found that his body, hair, nals ,crystalized into unbreakable shiny beads.
They called such pieces sarira.







 You can find icons of him like this one in many pagodas today all over Asia.

Indai had Pagodas before China did in grottos and temples which they used for sacrifices as offerings to dead ancestors .

Emperor Ming of the Eastern Han Dynasty (58-75) had a dream of a Golden man, over 3 meters tall, with a halo, flying around his palace.
His minister explained to him that it sounded lake the god Buddha from the west.
So the Emperor sent men to Pakistan India and Sri Lanka to find out more about him.
They brought back scriptures, a statue and Buddhists.

Today when you speak of a pagoda, you speak of a place of worship.
They are not odd number levelled stupas or domes or tombs anymore where sacre relics were kept safe.
Pagodas attract lighting because of their height and are known as lightning rods to stop demons.

xoxoxoxox