Jinhua Falong Temple Pagoda

　　The Falong Temple Pagoda is situated in Jinqian Temple Village, south of Jinhua City. It is a Zhejiang Provincial-level Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit. Although Falong Temple has been destroyed, the pagoda is still intact. Part of its base is buried underground, with the visible section standing 6.3 meters high. It has an octagonal plan, and the body of the pagoda is an eight-sided column inscribed with the "Uṣṇīṣa Vijaya Dhāraṇī Sūtra," the construction record of the pagoda, and the date "the 11th year of the Dazhong era of the Tang Dynasty (November 15, 857)." This dates back over 1,140 years. The column is adorned with relief carvings depicting Manjushri riding a lion, Samantabhadra riding an elephant, and numerous Buddhist disciples. The carvings are vivid and lifelike. Above these is a circular canopy, beneath which are four celestial musicians in flight, resembling the flying apsaras seen in the Dunhuang caves. The carvings on the Falong Temple Pagoda are extremely refined, with bold and powerful lines, a compact structure, and balanced proportions, fully reflecting the craftsmanship of stone carving in the Jiangnan region during the Tang Dynasty. The railing components on the pagoda are among the earliest physical examples of railings found in Zhejiang Province, holding significant cultural relic value.

　　Source: China Jinhua Government Portal Website