The Crossword Solver found answer to “Tiered temple”, 6 letters crossword clue. The Crossword Solver finds answers to American-style crosswords, British-style crosswords, general knowledge crosswords and cryptic crossword puzzles.
Answer : PAGODA
Pagoda, a towerlike, multistory, solid or hollow structure made of stone, brick, or wood, usually associated with a Buddhist temple complex and therefore usually found in East and Southeast Asia, where Buddhism was long the prevailing religion.
The pagoda structure derives from that of the stupa, a hemispherical, domed, commemorative monument first constructed in ancient India. Initially, these structures symbolized sacred mountains, and they were used to house relics or remains of saints and kings. Stupas evolved into several distinct forms in various parts of Asia. The finial, the decorative crowning ornament of the stupa, likely has roots in Hinduism, which predates Buddhism, in the symbols of yoni and lingam. Its design gradually became more elongated and cylindrical until the stupa’s upper portion took on an attenuated towerlike appearance.
This stupa shape was adopted by Buddhism as an appropriate form for a monument enshrining sacred relics. In China this purpose gave birth to a unique structure, the small underground structure known as the “dragon palace” or “dragon cave,” consisting chiefly of a brick- or stone-lined room. This enclosure, which was sometimes decorated with murals, held a container in which relics and funerary objects had been placed. The container holding the sacred objects was usually placed within one or even several larger containers. The outermost container was covered by the pagoda’s base, and, as the structure type evolved, the base became more elaborate, eventually taking the form of a pedestal. These pedestals were often decorated and, in later developments, dominated the body of the pagodas they supported.
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