Pagoda of Six Harmonies
Located on Yuelun Hill, in Hangzhou, the Six Harmonies Pagoda overlooks the Qiantang River. The pagoda is octagonal in shape and is almost 59 meters tall. It is 7 storey’s tall, although from the exterior it looks like it is 13. The interior of the pagoda is decorated with carved bricks which depict birds, flowers, and Chinese characters and designs.
Originally built during the Northern Song Dynasty (386-581), the pagoda was destroyed during 1121. The interior of the pagoda was built of brick with the eaves being built of wood. The current pagoda’s interior was re-built during the Southern Song Dynasty (420-589) and the wooden eaves have been rebuilt several times.
The name comes from the 6 Buddhist ordinances. The origin legend of the pagoda is quite interesting. According to legend, a dragon lived in the river and caused the river to flood which killed countless people. A couple was killed leaving their young son without a family. The son was angry and swore to fill in the river. He started throwing rocks into the river in an attempt to fill it. The rocks kept landing on the Dragon's palace causing damage, and making the palace rattle. The dragon came burst out of the water in a rage and told the boy to knock it off. The dragon went back to his palace and the boy continued throwing rocks into the river. Eventually the dragon, being unable to sleep, asked the boy what it would take for him to stop throwing rocks. The boy said if the dragon would return his mother, he would stop. The dragon agreed, gave back the boy's mother. The pagoda was built on the site where the boy supposedly stood while throwing the rocks in the river. Near the pagoda is an area filled with 100 miniature pagodas representing the most famous pagodas in China. They are beautifully crafted and the attention to detail is amazing. They are built on a mountainside amongst groves of trees and bamboos. It is a really beautiful place, and it is cool to compare the differences between the different architectural styles. It is probably the only place where 100 different pagodas can be observed and compared.
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