Early Multi-Storied Pagodas
The Buddhist stupas and temples that had been first established in China did not appear in the same form that had been in India. Rather than keeping the structure of the stupa as it had appeared for centuries in India and Central Asia, the Chinese modified them to fit into their architectural styles. Long before Buddhism first came into the culture, multi-storied, complex buildings were very common and popular. To be high into the air was believed to be powerful and wonderful. Many of the palaces were built high up into the sky, rising toward the sun. High government officials and the rich also built houses that had more than one level.
When the Chinese included the Indian stupa into their architecture, they combined the Indian style with their own Chinese building structure patterns. Their first pagodas were made of wood, opposite to the stone and mud used frequently in India. They built the bases square, using one of the original stupa patterns but they layered them with fancy roofs, columns, and walls that were entirely new to the stupas. Actually, the only part of these early pagodas, which had started from the stupa, was the tower (also known as a steeple). Since the steeple was the most important aspect of the structure, they changed its form to the top of the pagoda, taking no notice of the curve-shaped Indian base. To the Chinese, this change made their temple even more powerful and significant.
The first pagodas built in China were the largest and most abundant of all the ancient buildings. They were always built with at least three to nine stories high. During this time period, in the first several centuries, most pagodas were built out of wood. The White Horse Temple and the Yongning Temple are examples of these. The Yonging Temple, located near Luoyang was glazed with red paint, decorated with gold nails, chains, and bells. The chiming of the hundreds of tiny bells could be heard miles away even on a windy night.
