The Stupa of Immaculate Light

The Stupa of Immaculate Light

The Stupa of Immaculate Light is a national key cultural relic protection unit.

The Stupa of Immaculate Light is a cultural relic protection unit of Liaoning Province, located on the Loess Mound along Tawan Street in Huanggu District, Shenyang. Built in the 13th year of the Chongxi reign during the Liao Dynasty (1044) and renovated in the 5th year of the Chongde reign during the Qing Dynasty (1640), it is one of the older surviving structures in Shenyang. In the past, this site was connected to the Zhaoling Tomb to the east and bordered a marsh to the south, exuding an ancient charm. The “Sunset over Tawan” was once one of the Eight Scenic Spots of Shenyang.

This stupa is an octagonal brick structure with 13 tiers of dense eaves, standing approximately 33 meters tall. It can be divided into five main parts: the underground palace, the base, the body, the eaves, and the finial. The underground palace lies beneath the base and is the chamber where the relics are enshrined; the base is an octagonal inverted lotus Sumeru pedestal, entirely built of bricks, edged with stone slabs, standing 1.7 meters high and 5.5 meters wide on each side; each face of the stupa body features a Buddha niche adorned with carvings of scrollwork, crabapple flower patterns, as well as elegantly designed canopy canopies and flying apsaras. Inside the niches, raised lotus pedestals support seated Buddhas clad in robes, with attendants standing on either side. Below the eaves are brick-carved brackets, with tile ridges above, and the corner ridges are decorated with roof beasts and seated beasts. The 13 tiers of eaves curve inward layer by layer, culminating in an octagonal spire. Atop the spire stands a metal finial pole, strung with a gourd-shaped jewel, connected to the corner ridges via eight iron chains. The entire stupa is tall, stately, and majestic.

During the 1985 renovation, it was discovered that the stupa is hollow—an architectural feature unique among similar structures nationwide. A large number of cultural relics were unearthed inside, including gilded Buddhas, sarira, scriptures, and porcelain. A circular underground palace was also found, featuring a ceiling, a floor, and well-preserved colorful murals on its four walls depicting Ananda, Kasyapa, and guardian deities. A large stone sarcophagus was excavated, with an inscription on the lid reading: "In the 13th year of the Chongxi reign during the Liao Dynasty, on the 15th day of the fourth month, under the reign of the great heavenly stem and earthly branch Jiachen, in the village of Fengren to the northwest of Shenzhou, the great Khitan Empire, in the eastern part of Shen Zhou—buried on the 15th day of the waning moon." The lid also records the names and titles of those involved in the stupa's construction, serving as vital physical evidence for the study of both the stupa and Liao Dynasty history. A new exhibition hall has been built to the north of the stupa, displaying cultural relics of ancient stupas in Shenyang. It officially opened to the public in May 1986.

Address: No. 45, Lane 15, Tawan Street, Huanggu District, Shenyang, Liaoning Province

Transportation: Take bus 202 from Shenyang South Railway Station and get off at the terminal stop; or take bus 209 from Shenyang North Railway Station and get off at Tawan.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Liaoning Province

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relic Protection Units