User:Waygugin/West pagoda of Hwaeomsa

The West Pagoda is a granite pagoda at the Buddhist temple of Hwaeomsa, in Gurye County, Jeollanam-do, South Korea.

Description
Made from granite, the pagoda is positioned in the courtyard, 22 m to the west of the East Pagoda. Ordinarily twin pagodas are aligned symmetrically and share the same overall structure, however the West Pagoda faces further south by about 5° and has a two-tiered platform instead of the single-tier platform of the East Pagoda. From the entrance to the courtyard, this difference in distance and angle gives the visual appearance that the East Pagoda was erected in front of Daeungjeon Hall and the West Pagoda in front of Gakhwangjeon Hall on the terrace to the east. In front of the latter building is the temple's stone lantern, which is aligned in a row with the West Pagoda. The pagoda was made in the long and steep style and has a total height of 6.8 m, about 70 cm taller than the East Pagoda.

The lower tier of the West Pagoda's platform sits on a stone floor of ten rectangular stone blocks about 53 cm off the ground surface. On each side the base and walls are carved into a single piece of stone. The wall surfaces are decorated with relief images of the twelve spirit generals (sipjisang) represented by the animals of the Chinese zodiac. There are three panels per side: the Pig, Rat and Ox on the north face; the Tiger, Rabbit, and Dragon on the east face; the Snake, Horse, and Goat on the south face; and the Monkey, Rooster, and Dog on the west face. The figures are seated, wearing celestial garments which appear to flutter in the wind, instead of the military attire found on many of the royal tombs of Silla, in Gyeongju. The cover stone measures 2.5 m on each side and is about 24 cm thick. It is composed of four square stones, the lower side flat while the upper side has a minute curvature and a two-tiered pedestal at the center.

The upper tier of the platform has four wall stones, two aligned along an east-westerly axis and the other two inserted in between along a north-southerly axis. Columns are carved into the middle section of each wall and at the four corners. Relief imagery of the eight dharma protectors occupy the spaces between the columns, each figure measuring 96 cm in height. Their use on Korean pagodas began in the late Unified Silla period with about ten pieces still extant including the three story pagodas at Beomhak-ri, Sancheong, as well as the sites of Jinjeonsa and Seollimwon, Yangyang. The arrangement of the figures on the West Pagoda does not follow the order described in the Lotus Sutra or the Sūtra on the Ocean-Like Samādhi of the Visualisation of the Buddha. They are also depicted standing and full of vitality, unlike the seated guardians found on other pagodas.

On the east side is a dragon to the right and Garuda to the left. The dragon is crowned, its right hand leaning against its belly, while the left clutches a staff underneath its legs. Garuda is wearing a war helmet-shaped floral crown. He is holding a piri at the mouth with both of his hands, while a long spear is positioned over the right shoulder. On the south side of the platform are a deva to the right and a yakṣa to the left. The deva is wearing a jeweled crown and carrying a vajra in his right hand, while the left is placed upon the hip. The yakṣa is wearing a jeweled crown from which is perched a bird with a prominent beak. His right hand is supporting the tail of the bird while the left is resting on the hip. On the west side is an Asura to right and a gandharva to the left. Wearing a jeweled crown, the asura has three faces and six arms. The gandharva is wearing a lion crown and it is holding a spear behind its back. On the north are a kiṃnara| to the right and Mahoraga to the left. The kiṃnara is wearing a jeweled crown and is holding a spear with both hands towards the right shoulder. The Mahoraga is wearing a jeweled crown atop of which is a snake. He is holding up the snake's tale with his right hand while his left is placed on upon the hip. The cover stone is made of two stones with extended eaves and a slight curvature on the upper side. At the center there is a square two-tiered dais for the pagoda body.

The body and roof stones of the pagoda body are each single pieces of stone. Columns are carved into the corners of the first floor while the Four Heavenly Kings are carved in relief on the walls. To the east is Dhṛtarāṣṭra, holding a spear; Virūḍhaka to the south side, holding a sword, Virūpākṣa to the west wall, holding a spear; and Vaiśravaṇa to the north, holding a pagoda. Each of the roof stones have five eave corbels underneath carved underneath. There is a slight sloped on the top while the eaves curl up at the corners. On top of the roof stone is a thin dais for the body stone of the next floor. The style of finial style is unique to the pagodas of Hwaeomsa, consisting of an upturned hemisphere atop a square block, which is surmounted by a lotus bud shaped ornament that represents a precious jewel.

Design and provenience
The pagoda was designated Treasure 133 by the Cultural Heritage Administration in 1963.


 * The age of the bronze Buddha casting and the relief carvings on the platform indicate a date of construction likely in the late 9th century.
 * According to Hwang et al. the pagoda dates to the late 9th century.
 * According to Bak et al. the pagoda dates to the late 9th century. The relief imagery is similar to that found on the three-story pagodas in Hyeonil-dong and Hwacheon-dong, Yeongyang, which were produced around the same time.
 * According to An et al. the pagoda dates to the late 9th century.
 * According to Sin the pagoda dates to the 9th century.
 * According to So the pagoda dates to the 9th century.
 * According to Kim the pagoda dates to the late 10th century.
 * According to Jeong the pagoda dates to the 9th century.
 * According to one report the pagoda dates to 9th century.
 * According to one report the pagoda dates to 9th century.
 * According to one report the pagoda dates to the late 9th century. The relief imagery is strongly indicative of the late 9th century when most of the other pagodas with similar imagery were constructed.

Relics
From August to September 1995 the pagoda was disassembled and repaired during which time dozens of relics were retrieved. These were designated Treasure 1348 in 2002 and are now kept in Samjeon Hall.

Some relics were discovered in a 22 cm diameter cavity carved into the top of the first floor body stone. A double handle celadon vase was found inside that was probably made in China. The use of celadon in relics was rare during the Unified Silla period. There are two small handles on the shoulder while the mouth of the vase rises upwards and widens out. The lower part of the vase is colored crimson as it is unglazed. At the time of its discovery the opening of the vase was slightly damaged but it has since been restored. A bronze dish was laid overtop the opening of the vase, apparently a lid from the greater amount of tarnish on the outside.

Inside the vase was found a glass bottle which like other pieces from the Unified Silla period is green in color. The bottle has many bubbles in the glass while is glass stopper has a bronze skewer. Inside the bottle were found 22 sariras and two bronze caskets. One casket is inscribed with concentric circles on the top and bottom, and the other has a floral pattern. The edges have been shaved off and the interiors are in excellent condition. Three pieces of purple paper hand written in black were found inside the second casket. On one of these is a passage from the Dhāraṇī of the Pure Immaculate Light. There were also two crystal ornaments, one shaped like a jujube shaped and the other multisided, and 280 glass beads which were possibly used in offerings.

To the west of the cavity there is a rectangular opening 33 cm long and 10 cm wide, inside of which were found rolls of white paper each measuring 27 cm in length. There are eight sheets with what are likely passages from the Dhāraṇī handwritten in black ink, and another thirteen sheets with printed images of precisely drawn three-story pagodas.

Relics excavated from within the upper platform include a bronze casting of a Buddha, a spoon, several hairpins, a bronze bell, some pieces of bronze and decorative gilt bronze, iron knives, two wax pagodas, and two wooden pagodas. The bronze casting was probably manufactured to be used in Buddhist ceremonies. The figure is seated on a lotus throne, with a three story pagoda positioned in each of the upper corners. There is a loop on the backside that is thought to be a handle. The 14 hairpins are almost identical with each other, possessing a simple two-pronged design although some are bent of broken. Similar hairpins have been found in Seokgatap of Bulguksa and the five story pagoda on the site of the former temple Binsansa in Uiseong, Gyeongsangbuk-do. The knives have neither handles nor sheaths, with only the blade remaining; while the wooden pagodas have hollow interiors, inside of which it is likely scriptures were kept.