Pagoda (according to some, a corruption of the Sanscrit word bhdgavata, from bhagavat, sacred ; but according to others a corruption of put-gada, from the Persian put, idol, and gada, house) is tlie name of cer- tain Hindu temples, which are among the most remark- able monuments of Hindu architecture. Though the word itself designates but the temple where the deity — especially Siva, and his consort Diirga or Parvati — was worshipped, a pagoda is in reality an aggregate of various monuments, which in their totality constitute the holy place sacred to the god. Sanctuaries, porches, colonnades, gateways, walls, tanks, etc., are generally' combined for this purpose, according to a plan which is more or less uniform. Several series of walls form an enclosure ; between them are alleys, habitations for the priests, etc., and the interior is occupied by the temple itself, with buildings for the iiilgrims, tanks, porticos, and open colonnades. The walls liave at their openings gopuras, or large pyramidal gateways, higher tlian themselves, and so constructed that the gopura of the outer wall is always higher than that of the succeeding inner wall, the pagoda itself being smaller than the smallest gopura. The extent of the enclos- ing walls is generally considerable ; in most instances they consist of hewn stones of colossal dimensions, placed upon one another without mortar or cement, but
with such admirable accuracy that their joints are scarcely visible. The gateways are pyramidal build- ings of the most elaborate workmanship; tliey consist of several, sometimes as many as fifteen stories. The pagodas themselves, too, are of a ]iyramidal shape, various layers of stones having been piled upon one an- other in successive recession; in some pagodas, how- ever, the pyramidal form begins onlj- with the higher stories, the broad basis extending to about a third of the height of the whole building. The sides of the different terraces are vertical; but the transition from one to the other is effected by a vault surmounted by a series of small cupolas, which hide the vault itself. A single cupola, hewn out of tlie stone, and surmounted by a globe, generally crowns the whole structure: but sometimes the latter also ends in fantastical sjnres of a fan-like shape or in concave roofs. The pagodas are covered all over with tlie richest ornamentation. The pilasters and columns, which take a prominent rank in the ornamental portion of these temples, show the greatest variety of furms ; some pagodas are also over- laid with strips of copper, having the appearance of gold. There are pagodas of all sizes in India. Some
Wat-Cheug Pagoda, Bangkok.
of them have been erected by wealthy Hindfls for the purpose of performing their private devotions in them, and correspond in character to the Western chapels. In the case of the large pagodas, vast endo>vments in many instances are expended in their support, as well
PAGODA
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as for the idols they contain and the Brahmins that attend them.
"The most celebrated pagodas on the mainland of India are those of Mathura, Trichinopoli, Chalambron, Konjeveram, Jaggernaut, and Deogur, near I'^llora. That of Mathura consists of four stories, and is about 63 feet high ; its base comprises about 40 square feet. Its first story is made of hewn stones, heavily adorned with cop- per and gilt ; the others are of brick. A great number of figures, especially representing deities, tigers, and ele- phants, cover the building. The pagoda of Tanjore is the most beautiful monument of this kind in the south of India ; its height is 200 feet, and the width of its basis is equal to two thirds of its height. The pagoda of Trichinopoli is erected on a hill elevated about 300 feet over the plain; it differs in style from other pagodas dedicated to Brahminical worship, and exhibits great similarity with the Buddhistic monuments of Tibet. The great pagoda of Chalambron, in Tanjore, is one of the most celebrated and one of the most sacred of India. It is dedicated to Siva and Parvati, and is filled with representations belonging to the mythical history of these gods. The buildings of which this pagoda is composed cover an oblong square 300 feet long and 210 feet wide. At Konjeveram there are two pagodiis — ithe one dedicated to Siva, and the other to Parvati. The pagodas of Jaggernaut, on the north end of the coast of Coromandel, are three ; they are erected like- wise in honor of Siva, and surrounded by a wall of black stones — whence they are called by Europeans the Black Pagodas — measuring 1122 feet in length, 696 feet in width, and 24 feet in height. The height of the principal of these three pagodas is said to be 344 feet ; according to some, however, it docs not exceed 120 to 123 feet. The pagoda of Deogur, near Ellora, consists also of three pagodas, sacred to Siva; they have no sculpt- ures, however, except a trident, the weapon of Siva, which is visible on the top of one of these temples. The monuments of Mavalipura, on the coast of Coro- mandel, are generally called the Seven Pagodas; but as these monuments — which are rather a whole city than merely temples — are buildings cut out of the liv- ing rock, they belong more properly to the cut-rock monuments of India than to the special class of Indian architecture comprised under the term pagoda" (Cham- bers).