Six Banyan Temple Pagoda

Six Banyan Temple Pagoda

The Six Banyan Temple Pagoda is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Six Banyan Temple Pagoda is located within the Six Banyan Temple in Yuexiu District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province.

The temple pagoda was first built during the Liu Song Dynasty of the Southern Dynasties (420–479 AD). In the third year of the Datong era under Emperor Wu of Liang (537 AD), an edict permitted Master Tan Yu to construct a magnificent wooden pagoda here to enshrine Buddhist relics brought back from overseas. It was bestowed the name “Baozhuangyan Temple Relic Pagoda.” In the early Northern Song Dynasty, it was burned down in a fire—the temple survived, but the pagoda was lost. In the second year of the Duan'gong era of the Northern Song (989 AD), the temple was renovated and renamed Jinghui Temple. In the fourth year of the Shaosheng era (1097 AD), the county clerk Lin Xiu and devout layman Wang Qu, together with the monk Daocong, rebuilt the pagoda on the original site of the relic tower. Buddhist tooth relics were buried beneath it, and shrines holding a thousand Buddha statues from the Bhadrakalpa were installed inside the niches—thus, it was renamed the Thousand Buddha Pagoda. In the third year of the Yuanfu era (1100 AD), the renowned writer and calligrapher Su Dongpo visited the temple. He was pleased to see six lush banyan trees planted by the pagoda and inscribed the name “Six Banyan” on the temple plaque, after which the temple became known as the Six Banyan Temple. After being renovated in the early Qing Dynasty, the Thousand Buddha Pagoda gained the nickname “Flower Pagoda” due to the colorful eaves and walls. In 1987, a Mahavira Hall was constructed housing statues of Sakyamuni, Amitabha, and Bhaisajyaguru (each 6 meters tall and weighing 10 tons), as well as a Guanyin statue in the Guanyin Hall (4 meters tall, weighing about 5 tons). These were all cast in the second year of the Kangxi era (1663 AD), originally placed in the Great Buddha Temple, and are the largest surviving ancient bronze statues in the province. In 1980, the Flower Pagoda, the Sixth Patriarch Hall, and other areas were renovated, the pagoda courtyard was widened, and in 1983 and 1987, the Mahavira Hall and Guanyin Hall were successively rebuilt. In 1993, a scripture depository was also added.

The Six Banyan Temple now covers an area of over 7,000 square meters. The Six Banyan Flower Pagoda stands at the center of the temple. This flower pagoda is a brick-and-wood structure, octagonal in plan, with nine exterior and seventeen interior stories. It is a pavilion-style pagoda reaching a height of 57.6 meters. The body of the pagoda features a well-shaft structure, with a bottom diameter of 12 meters and an auxiliary eave. The entire Flower Pagoda is adorned with red railings and green tiles, red pillars, and white walls. The inner stairway is of the through-wall-around-gallery type. Each level of the pagoda has an outer corridor, and the eaves of each tier are covered with green glazed tiles with slightly upturned edges. Except for the brackets, tiers, and railings—which are made of wood—the majority of the pagoda is built from bricks in a well-shaft structure. The first level has a diameter of 12 meters. Each level is constructed with stacked bricks supporting the gallery and tiled eaves, gradually tapering inward. Multiple bricks on the pagoda walls bear inscriptions such as “Bricks for the Bao Pagoda of Jinghui Temple of Guangzhou, Donated by Chief Clerk Lin and Transport Supervisor Inspector Wang.” The auxiliary eave and glazed tile eaves on the first level have relatively shallow overhangs, representing the style of the late Qing Dynasty renovations. The wooden railings above the second level were restored in 1980 using a Song-style bracket-and-pillar balustrade design, and the stairway follows the through-wall-around-gallery pattern. The current pagoda spire consists of a 9.14-meter-tall bronze column of a thousand Buddhas cast in the 18th year of the Zhiyuan era of the Yuan Dynasty (1358 AD). The column is engraved with 1,023 Buddha statues and images of auspicious clouds, celestial palaces, and pagodas. Together with the golden flame jewel atop the pagoda, the three-layered Ninth Heaven Treasure Plate, the nine-tiered treasure wheel, the single-layered Double Dragon Treasure Plate, and eight iron chains, the entire assembly weighs over 5 tons. The central pagoda core column, also made of copper and cast in the 18th year of the Zhiyuan era (1358 AD), is densely engraved with 1,033 small relief Buddha statues and celestial palace pagoda images amid swirling clouds. The entire set, including the thousand-Buddha bronze column, the golden flame jewel, double dragon orbs, the Ninth Heaven plates, the covering plate, and the eight iron chains, weighs more than 5 tons.

The Heavenly King Hall to the east of the pagoda is 14.72 meters wide and 5.1 meters deep, featuring a six-rafter roof supported by three central pillars with bracket arms extending two steps to support the eaves beams. It has plain grey barrel tiles and a flush gable roof, preserving the architectural style of the Ming Dynasty. The Sixth Patriarch Hall houses a bronze statue of the Sixth Patriarch, cast in the second year of the Duan'gong era of the Northern Song (989 AD). The seated statue, in the lotus position, is 1.35 meters tall, 1.16 meters wide, and sits on a 0.71-meter-high base. It is considered a fine example of Song Dynasty sculpture. The temple also houses over ten stone steles. Wang Bo, one of the “Four Eminent Scholars of Early Tang,” once left his calligraphy here.

In 2006, the Six Banyan Temple Pagoda, as an ancient structure from the Song Dynasty, was included in the sixth group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council.

Attraction Location

Liurong Road, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province

Wenyuan Lane Community: Wenyuan Lane Community…… Wenyuan Lane Community detailed information++

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units