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Unique pagoda with memorable history
Posted : 2021-01-19 16:40 By Choe Chong-dae
I am in awe of the unique 10-story marble pagoda of Gyeongcheon Temple (National Treasure No. 86) on display in the lobby of the National Museum in Seoul. Most ancient Korean pagodas were made of granite, brick or wood. They are distinctive monuments designed to enshrine sacred relics at Buddhist temples.
Unlike typical pagodas that have an odd number of stories ― three, five or seven ― the Gyeongcheon pagoda has 10 stories which represent the 10 Perfections in Mahayana Buddhist teaching.
The pagoda was originally erected during Goryeo Dynasty in 1348 at Gyeongcheon Temple in modern-day Gaeseong City, North Korea. It is a distinctive architectural structure in terms of shape and style. The lower three stories are polygonal like the Chinese ideograph 亞 depicting the influence of Tibetan and Mongolian Buddhism. However, the upper seven stories are rectangular like traditional Korean stone