History of Indian and Eastern Architecture v2.c34.s3: Temple of the Great Dragon, Pekin.

History of Indian and Eastern Architecture v2.c34.s3

Language: English

v2.c34.s3.1 — 4 parts

Temple of the Great Dragon, Pekin.

v2.c34.s3.1.1

The most magnificent temple in the capital, so far as we know in the empire, is that known as the Temple of Heaven, or the Great Dragon. It is situated close to the southern wall of the city in a square enclosure measuring about a mile each way. From the outer gate a raised causeway leads to the temple, on either side of which, for the accommodation of the priests, are numerous buildings approached by frequent flights of steps leading down to a park beautifully planted. In the central part of the enclosure are two altars, distinguished as the North and South. The South altar consists of a circular platform of three concentric terraces, the upper one 90 ft. in diameter, the middle terrace 150 ft., and the lower one 210 ft., all enclosed with balustrades and raised about 6 ft. one above the other; these terraces are ascended by four flights of steps on the north, east, south and west sides respectively. In the centre of the platform are the five sacred vessels found in all Buddhist temples, over which a canopy is erected on the occasion of a celebration. The North altar is situated about 1500 ft. north of the South altar, differing from the latter only in the number of flights of steps, there being eight flights, three of which are placed side by side on the north end, the central portion of the middle flight forming a gradual slope and covered with dragons and clouds in relief.

v2.c34.s3.1.2

In the centre of the upper terrace is the circular structure known as the Ch'i-nien T'ien (Heaven's Palace) shown in the woodcut No. 492, which has the appearance of a three-storeyed structure, but in reality consists of a central hall 90 ft. in height with double aisles round, the roofs over which are shown in the woodcut. The roof with its widely projecting eaves and the drum below are carried by four immense columns, 4 ft. in diameter, the second roof and drum are carried by twelve columns, as also the lower storey. The construction inside is of a very extraordinary kind; at the level of the upper part of the second roof carved beams are tenoned into the four columns, over which, between each are provided two other columns, forming a sort of attic storey, to support the roof and the internal dome. Though not indicated in the woodcut, the four great columns, which rise to the roof, are visible outside, between them and at the back of the attic columns the outer case of the drum is constructed with curved timbers, and there are no windows as shown. As the horizontal beams, or plates, are only tenoned into the columns, and the weight they have to carry is greater than such beams could carry, it has been found necessary to provide other beams underneath, on which they rest, and these beams are sunk into others crossing from the four great columns to four of those of the aisle or clerestory — an arrangement of a most complicated character.

v2.c34.s3.1.3

The interior of the dome is horizontally subdivided into three parts, the lower decorated with an assemblage of brackets forming a frieze, the middle part panelled and the centre sunk with a deep coffer; all the woodwork is gilded, the upper part of the columns with patterns in imitation of damask work. The Temple of Heaven is said to have been erected about the year 1420 A.D., and originally the roof of the upper storey was covered with blue tiles, that of the middle one with yellow tiles, and of the lower one green, but the Emperor Kien-lung (1736-1796) changed them all to one colour of a deep ultramarine blue. As this temple is said to have been burnt down in 1860, it is probable that the existing building is only a copy. A second circular temple in the enclosure of the Temple of Heaven, the Huang-Chiang-yen, has one roof only, and the dome inside carried on eight columns is similarly decorated with two beaded friezes, and panelled above with a circular plaque in the centre. There is a third example of a circular dome in the Chung-ho-t'ien, the Hall of Central Peace, in which the dome is decorated in the same way, but is much finer in design and decoration than the other two, and a fourth in the Temple of Agriculture of which an excellent lithograph is published in vol. xvii. of the ‘R.I.B.A. Transactions, 1866-67.’ The bracket frieze found in these circular temples exists also in the rectangular ones;

v2.c34.s3.1.4

in both cases their origin can be traced to the constructive forms evolved in the support of the widely projecting eaves, they are employed also in the deeply coffered ceilings of some of the halls of the Imperial Palace, such as those of the Chio-tai Chung-ching, and other halls of reception and audience.

v2.c34.s3.2

With the exception of the examples just described, and a few others, all the temples in China, whether Confucian, Taoist or Buddhist, are based on the T'ing type, differing only in their dimensions. Generally speaking, the temple of a Buddhist monastery is enclosed by a wall, with a monumental gateway or P'ai-lu at the entrance and a series of three detached buildings beyond, placed one behind the other, on a central axis, with courts between, and communicating one with the other by means of covered corridors. The first building is the ex-voto hall with statues; the second is the principal temple, in which are the three images of the Buddhist triad, and the altar with the sacred vessels in front; the building in the rear contains sometimes a miniature dâgaba in marble, in which are enclosed supposed relics of Buddha. To the right and left of the enclosure, and placed symmetrically, are other isolated structures, such as the bell-tower, the library, the pagoda, and the monks' dwellings.