Pagoda Architecture: Palkor Pagoda

Pagoda architecture is another beautiful style of Tibetan monastery architecture art. Pagoda here became the center of the monastery architectures, different from the pagoda affiliated to the monastery complex.

Pagoda architectures were popular in Tsang region between the 14th and 15th centuries. The famous are the Jorlung Pagoda, Gyang Pagoda, and Riwoqi Pagoda while the most typical and well preserved pagoda architecture is the Palkor Pagoda in Palkor Monastery in Gyantse.

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Palkor Pagoda has 13 storeys. Its plan is a mandala. From the bottom to top, there are several components, including 13 stone stages, a pedestal, an inverted-bowl shaped lower body, a bottle like upper body and a neck known as ‘thirteen heavens’ and so forth.

Around the lower and upper bodies, there are many chambers enshrining Buddhas. The lower body has 5 storeys and each of the first 4 storeys has 20 Buddha chambers, among which the central chambers in the 1st and 3rd storey are spacious that their ceiling extend to the 2nd and the 4th storey respectively. So in fact, there are only 16 chambers in each of the two storeys.The upper body has 4 chambers.

Outside the pagoda in each storey, there is a fence with stone wall and clay packing as well as an eave. The cross section of the lower part of the pagoda is in square shape while that of the upper part is in round shape. From the bottom to the top, the areas of the cross section are gradually reduced.

The construction of Palkor Pagoda takes in consideration of both practical usage and aesthetic appreciation, which makes it the ‘rare work of Chinese architecture arts’.

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