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Nine-storied stone pagoda

  • Nine-storied stone pagoda
    Nine-storied stone pagoda
    Number: 7032
    Level: National Treasure
    Size: Height:153cm
  • This Buddhist Tower, or stupa, was made around 466 BC. Originally, the tower comprised three parts: the roof, the body, and the base, all carved in limestone. The roof is now in Shanxi; what you see here are the body and the base. On the front of the base, we can see donors, incense burners, and lions carved in relief. On both sides we find series of men and women of various sizes. On the back we see carving of the donors and an inscription about the history of the commission of the artifact. The body of the tower can be divided into nine levels, each having two to three rows of Buddhist figures. The composition of the tower shows the emulation of a well-ordered world view; the carving technique shows the artisan’s austerity and reverence.