Guoan Temple Stone Pagoda is located in Huang’ao Village, Longwan District. Guoan Temple was constructed during the Tang Dynasty’s Qiankun period (874-879). Originally consisting of nine sections with a total of a hundred rooms, the temple was a combination of wood and stone structures. Currently, only three sections remain, which were reconstructed in the mid-Qing Dynasty.
The stone pagoda is situated to the east of the temple, built in the Northern Song Dynasty’s Yuanyou year (1090). It is also known as the Thousand Buddha Stone Pagoda due to the 1026 Buddha statues carved on the tower’s body. The pagoda is made of bluestone, imitating a wooden structure, featuring a multi-storied pavilion style, with a hexagonal plan and solid construction over 9 levels. The top of the pagoda was destroyed long ago, and the remaining height is over 17 meters. The base is carved with ‘Nine Mountains and Eight Seas’ patterns, and the base seat is engraved with lotus flowers facing upwards and downwards, with each waist section featuring reliefs of lions and other beasts. On each level of the pagoda, the stone slabs are carved with multiple Buddha statues, arranged in a cross-legged position inside the pot doors on lotus or base seats, and adorned with body light and curtains. On June 7, 1988, the Zhejiang Provincial Bureau of Cultural Relics approved the restoration design for the Guoan Temple Stone Pagoda’s spire and auxiliary steps. On December 12, 1989, it was listed as a third batch of provincial-level cultural relics protection units in Zhejiang Province.Guoan Temple
Guoan Temple Stone Pagoda is located in Huang’ao Village, Longwan District. Guoan Temple was c[...]
