Twin Pagodas and Main Hall Ruins of the Monastery of Arhats

Twin Pagodas and Main Hall Ruins of the Monastery of Arhats

The Twin Pagodas and Main Hall Ruins of the Monastery of Arhats are a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Twin Pagodas and Main Hall Ruins of the Monastery of Arhats are located at No. 22 Dinghui Temple Lane, Fenghuang Street, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, eastern China. They are the ruins of ancient pagodas and a main hall dating back to the Northern Song Dynasty (960–1127 AD).

The Twin Pagodas were first constructed in the seventh year of the Taiping Xingguo era of the Northern Song Dynasty (982 AD). Both towers are exactly the same in size and structure, featuring octagonal brick structures. Each tower stands 33.3 meters tall and has seven stories, with the bottom level measuring 5.5 meters on each side. Only four sides of each story have actual doors, while the other four sides have false windows with straight mullions carved into them. Above the doors and windows, there are architraves and bracket sets supporting the eaves. The eaves extend out using a corbelled brick technique, with a significant curvature, over six layers, and angle upward at the corners—demonstrating a distinct architectural style of southern China. The inner chamber of the towers is square-shaped on all levels except the second, which is octagonal. The floor plans rotate in 45-degree increments from one level to the next, maintaining an overall octagonal form when viewed from bottom to top. The spire is made of iron and accounts for about one-quarter of the total height of the pagoda—an extremely rare feature among ancient Chinese pagodas.

The Main Hall ruins are located 21 meters north of the twin pagodas. The hall had a square floor plan, with a width and depth of three bays each, covering a total area of approximately 18.4 square meters. Sixteen stone pillars, around 4 meters high, remain standing around the hall, including three styles: carved round columns, melon-ridged columns, and octagonal columns. In addition, 30 stone column bases in the shape of inverted basins are preserved at the site. Among these, the six front pillars and their bases are circular, adorned with bas-relief carvings of intertwined floral patterns and baby-playing motifs such as peonies, summer lotuses, and autumn hibiscus—regarded as masterpieces of Song Dynasty stone carving art. Other relics found at the site include stone thresholds, stone arhat figures, stone Sumeru pedestals, and stone lions.

The Twin Pagodas of the Monastery of Arhats serve as physical evidence of the evolution of brick pagoda design during the Tang and Song Dynasties (7th–13th centuries). Together with the Main Hall ruins, they hold significant value for the study of architecture and sculptural art of that period. (National Cultural Heritage Administration)

Address: No. 22 Dinghui Temple Lane, Canglang District, Suzhou City

Type: Ancient Pagodas

Recommended Visit Duration: About 1 hour

Phone: 0512-65227778

Opening Hours:

8:00-16:30

Ticket Information:

Door Price: 8.0 RMB

Further Reading:

· First and Second Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Fourth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units