Lama Tower - Lama Tower

Japanese: ラマ塔 - ラマとう

A Chinese pagoda in a style descended from the Tibetan chorten, which retained the original form of the Indian stupa. It consists of a base, a jar with a circular cross-section as the pagoda body, and thirteen heavens as the pagoda temple, and is named after the fact that it was built as a pagoda for a lamasery. In China, it is written as Lama Tower. The existing White Tower of the Miaoying Temple in Beijing (Yuan) is said to be the first lamasery tower in China, built under the guidance of Nepalese craftsmen, and was used as a tomb tower for monks and as a garden decoration during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Other extant remains include the Relic Tower of Tayuan Temple in Wutai, Shanxi Province (Ming), and the White Tower of Beihai, Beijing (Qing).

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

中国の仏塔で，インドのストゥーパの原型をとどめたチベットのチョルテンの系統を引く形式。基壇，円形断面の塔身の宝瓶，塔刹の十三天よりなり，ラマ廟の塔として建てられたところからその名がある。中国では喇嘛塔と表記される。現存する北京の妙応寺白塔(元)はネパール工匠の指導による中国最初のラマ塔であるらしく，明･清時代には僧の墓塔や庭園の景物などに用いられた。現存遺構にはこのほか山西省五台の塔院寺舎利塔(明)，北京北海白塔(清)等がある。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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