Chaozhou Ashoka Pagoda

Chaozhou Ashoka Pagoda

Chaozhou Ashoka Pagoda is located within Kaiyuan Temple in Chaozhou City. The stone pagoda consists of three parts: the base, the main body, and the finial, standing 4.2 meters tall. The base is approximately 1 meter on each side and is built with neatly cut granite stones. The Sumeru pedestal atop the base features four Buddha statues carved on each of its four sides. The main body is a single large square granite slab, with reliefs carved on all four sides. The relief designs include shallow arched niches, within which Buddha statues are seated, flanked by figures such as muscular guardians. The patterns are quaint and the images vivid. Due to severe erosion of the rock, the original inscriptions have become blurred, though a few characters such as “… and also promoted agricultural affairs …” can still be faintly made out. At the top of the pagoda’s main body, four stone mountain-flower and banana-leaf corner inserts stand upright at the corners, while a central cylindrical stone reliquary-style finial rises above. The Ashoka Pagoda derives its name from King Ashoka (meaning “King Without Sorrow”), who was known for constructing numerous stupas and temples. Legend has it that in the 3rd century BCE, after this king of a unified India converted to Buddhism, he traveled extensively to sacred Buddhist sites, erecting pillars and inscribing edicts (“Dharma decrees”), establishing a total of 8,400 stupas and pillars. The four Ashoka-style pagodas within Kaiyuan Temple in Chaozhou are also known as Treasure Casket Seal Scripture Stupas, and some refer to them as the “Four Continents.” This term originates from Buddhist tales, referring to oases that emerged amidst a world in disaster to save humanity and ensure its survival. There are no exact historical records regarding the construction date of the four Ashoka-style stone pagodas in Kaiyuan Temple, Chaozhou, but based on the style of the carvings and inscriptions on the pagodas, it is estimated that they were built no later than the Southern Song Dynasty. In July 1962, they were designated as cultural relics protection units by the People's Committee of Guangdong Province.