Home » Tourist Attractions » Beijing Attractions Map » Beijing Five Pagoda Temple

Beijing Five Pagoda Temple Maps

The Five-Pagoda Temple is situated about 200 meters to the northwest of Beijing Zoo in Haidian District. First construncted in Ming Dynasty then repaired and renovated in 1761, this tenple was  burned to the ground in late Qing Dynasty, the only extant relic is the monumental diamond throne pagoda.

The structure of the five pagodas is known in Buddhist terminology as the "diamond throne pagoda" style, where five small pagodas stand on a large square foundation known as the "throne." This architectural form was introduced to China by an Indian monk in the early 15th century. However the architectural style of the temple is no mere imitation of its Indian prototype, but displays bold innovations: the height of the throne foundation was raised, the height of the pagodas was reduced, and typical Chinese glazed tiles were added

Five pagodas standing side by side on the seat, the central one has seven stories while the rest on the four corners are all five-story high. In the first floor of these pagodas, there are brick carvings of Buddha, Bodhisattva, Bodhi trees and so on. While in the floors above there are a great number of niches for statues of Buddha in different shapes totaling 1563. In addition, an astronomical chart and two Buddhism pictures are carved delicately onto a wall behind the pagodas, which are valuable cultural relics.