Three-story Stone Pagoda of Tongdosa Temple, Yangsan

The Three-story Stone Pagoda of Tongdosa Temple, Yangsan, is a Unified Silla-period pagoda of the common type, with a three-storey body set upon a two-tier base. The pagoda stands 3.9 m high, with a base width of 1.8 m; the base was built by first laying a foundation of several long rectangular stones, upon which the base itself was placed. The body of the pagoda is formed of a single body stone and a single roof stone for each storey. Stylistically, the pagoda has two notable features. First, the corner and side pillars are omitted from each face of the lower base, and arch-shaped niche motifs are carved there instead. Among Silla stone pagodas, other examples that likewise omit the corner and side pillars and carve niche motifs on the base include the Three-story Stone Pagoda of Beomeosa Temple, Busan; the Three-story Stone Pagoda in Pyeonghwa-dong, Andong; the Three-story Stone Pagoda at Mujangsa Temple Site, Gyeongju; the Three-story Stone Pagoda in Giseong-ri, Chilgok; and the West Three-story Stone Pagoda in Suljeong-ri, Changnyeong. Second, the roof stones are notable for the light upward curve of their eaves and for drip-lines carved to shed rainwater. In typical Silla stone pagodas the sloping upper surface of the roof stone is formed as a straight line, giving the upward curve of the eaves a light, agile look. The same feature can be seen in the East and West Three-story Stone Pagodas of Silsangsa Temple, Namwon, and the Three-story Stone Pagoda of Daeheungsa Temple, Haenam; since all of these are presumed to date from the latter half of the ninth century, this pagoda too can be regarded as belonging to the same period. The drip-lines carved on the underside of the roof stones first appeared on eighth-century pagodas and went on to become a common feature of Silla stone pagodas, an important example of how the stone pagoda form is an adaptation of wooden architecture.

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Where it is

Region

Yangsan, Gyeongnam

Designation

Treasure · 보물