Khitan Liao Pagoda Architecture

Timeline

1. 1071–1075Sakyamuni Pagoda of Fogong Temple (Yingxian Wooden Pagoda) · Ying CountyThe Yingxian Wooden Pagoda is a model Liao multi-story wooden pagoda, over 67 meters tall, with layered dougong brackets and rigorous structure. During Emperor Daozong's Xianyong era, the court continuously endowed Fogong Temple; as a Buddhist landmark of western Liao territory, the pagoda showcased the superb timber-building skills of Khitan and Han craftsmen working together.
2. 1074–1078Buddhist pagoda ruins in the outskirts of Liao Nanjing · Beijing MunicipalityLiao-era brick pagodas such as the Tianning Temple Pagoda survive in the Liao Nanjing area, their bodies adorned with dougong brackets, Buddhist images, and relief carvings of musicians, reflecting the localized evolution of multi-eaved brick pagodas within Liao territory. From the Xianyong through the Dakang era, the Liao court continued building brick pagodas in the prefectures of Yanyun, consolidating the symbolic rule of Buddhist veneration.
3. 1077–1080Fengguo Temple, Yixian · YixianPagodas and temple buildings in the western Liao region often combined painted sculpture and mural decoration, with Khitan motifs coexisting with Han-style Buddhist images. During the Dakang era, the Liao court continued building temple pagodas in the Song–Liao border region, using Buddhist architecture to assert the Liao dynasty's cultural integration of the Yanyun–western Liao area.