Iron Pagoda Overview & Map Weather Transportation Information
The Iron Pagoda is known as the First Pagoda under Heaven for its exquisite architectural style and grand appearance. It is the landmark of Kaifeng. It is located in the Iron Pagoda Park which is situated within the northeastern corner of the old city walls. The park is dominated by the pagoda that sits in its center, overlooking the Iron Pagoda Lake and the city walls. The Iron Pagoda is built to consecrate the Buddhist Remains of the Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism.
The history of the pagoda
The pagoda is located in the northeastern corner of Kaifeng. The predecessor of the Iron Pagoda was a huge octagonal, thirteen-storeyed wooden pagoda called Lingwei. It was once very famous, but for a very short time. In 1044 during the Northern Song Dynasty the wooden pagoda was struck by lightning and burnt down. Five years after the wooden pagoda was burnt down, the emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty ordered another one built on the same site. This time it was built of fire-resistant glazed bricks that remain today.
The origin of the name - Iron Pagoda
Actually the Iron Pagoda is not made of iron, but of red, brown, blue and green glazed bricks. As the main hue is reddish brown, the pagoda looks like iron from afar and has thus been called the Iron Pagoda for hundreds of years.
How firm the pagoda is
It has been almost one thousand years since the pagoda was rebuilt, but it remains firm despite fierce winds, torrential rains and earthquakes. Historical records show that the pagoda experienced 38 earthquakes, 10 hailstones, 19 disasters caused by windstorms and 6 floods. In 1841 the Yellow River overflowed and the city of Kaifeng was flooded. The thousand-year- old temple collapsed in the flood, but the towering pagoda survived and stood firm. Although the foundation has been ruined, the main body of the Iron Pagoda still stands in Kaifeng and ranks as the most famous pagoda in China. A trip to Kaifeng is not complete without a tour of the Iron Pagoda.
What to appreciate
The impressive pagoda
The octagonal pagoda is 56.88 meters high and has thirteen levels, with its base buried in silt from the Yellow River. Although it was constructed of bricks of different shapes and sizes, it looks very much like a huge wooden pillar.
- Bricks modeled after wooden ones
The doors, windows, pillars, brackets, bracket supports, pent roofs and balconies on the pagoda's exterior are all modeled after wooden ones and pieced together from twenty-eight standard brick components. The outer walls, comer pillars, doors, windows and bracket supports are all composed of glazed bricks of various colors.
- Ornamental designs
Carved on these component parts are more than fifty ornamental designs, including images of Buddha, bodhisattvas, flying apsarases, heavenly kings, celestial guards, lions, unicorns, musicians, peony and lotus flowers and figurines, making the pagoda the oldest and largest artifact of glazed bricks and tiles in China. These skillful designs represent the highly developed workmanship of the Song Dynasty.
- The summit of the pagoda
There are 168 steps, winding upwards along the central pillar, by which the visitors can reach the summit of the pagoda. The summit affords a good view of the whole city of Kaifeng. Hanging under the eaves are 104 bells, giving wonderful tinkles in the breezes.
Welcoming Buddha Hall
About one hundred meters west of the Iron Pagoda is a grand hall with lacquered ridgepoles and painted girders. The hall, with 24 big poles supporting it, is the largest hall in the Iron Pagoda Park, also called the Welcoming Buddha Hall.
The bronze figure of Buddha
The figure of Buddha in the Welcoming Buddha Hall is 5.14 meters high and weighs 12 tons. The Buddhist figure made of copper, has eleemosynary appearance and heavenly manner with its left hand on the heart and right hand drooping. It stands barefoot on a lotus flower platform and seems ready to guide Buddhists, who have cultivated themselves according to religious doctrines, to the western Elysium. The walls around the Buddhist figure are painted with a large-scale mural The Western Elysium, on which there are 70 josses including Bodhisattva, fairies, Flying Apsaras, and so on.
Buddhism Institute
On the east of the Iron Pagoda is the site of a Buddhism Institute established in the 1930s, which consists of a display room for cultural relics of the Iron Pagoda and a pavilion to commemorate Yu Hao.
The attractions in the Iron Pagoda Park
In the Iron Pagoda Park, a lake, a corridor over the water, waterside pavilions, man-made rockeries and springs entertain the tourists.
What to savor
When you are traveling in Kaifeng City, you may try some cuisine which adds glamour to your tour here.
- Carp with noodles, combining tender fish with thin noodles are a local specialty.
- Deep fried pork is also worth a try, its golden skin is crispy and crunchy.
- Tube chicken which gets its odd name because the slices of chicken curl into the shape of a tube after they are cooked is tasty.
- Kaifeng's meat-filled buns are famed throughout China.
- Finish off dinner with a sweet and crispy peanut cake for dessert.
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Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Oriental Pearl TV Tower
Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple
Bell Tower
Jiaxiu Tower
Iron Pagoda
Liuhe Pagoda
Sugong Pagoda
Wooden Pagoda
Nong'an Liao Tower
