West Three-story Stone Pagoda in Suljeong-ri, Changnyeong

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.520

Category

Sites & Pagodas

Era

통일신라시대

Designated year

1970

Location

창녕군, 경상남도— 경남 창녕군 창녕읍 술정서탑길 4-7 (술정리)

Coordinates

35.540479, 128.489732

This three-story pagoda, which is a typical stone pagoda of the Silla Period, consists of a two-layer platform, and a three-story main body. The name of the temple in which it was situated is unknown. The pagoda has a unique structure in that the lower and upper layers of the stylobate are each composed of eight stones. The eight stones of the lower layer are pieced together with the foundation stone and all the corners and facets are engraved with pillar patterns. The upper layer also consists of eight stones and a small stone plate is inserted in the middle of each facet. There is no pillar pattern at each corner, but its four facets are engraved with two patterns of panel decorations. A rough-looking door design carved on the middle stone of the southern side of the platform is assumed to have been added at a later time. The main body consists of the core stones and the roof stones, each hewn from a single stone. The four corners of the core stones are engraved with pillar patterns. The roof stones have thin, horizontal upper sides and five-tiered cornices. The eaves turn sharply upward at their four edges. Of the upper part of the pagoda, only the finial, which resembles an upturned bowl, and the finial base remain. This pagoda was originally situated together with the East Three-story Stone Pagoda in Suljeong-ri, Changnyeong (National Treasure No. 34) with some distance between them. However, it seems that the two pagodas were erected separately rather than as twin pagodas. Although this west pagoda was built during the Unified Silla Dynasty, in terms of the general carving style, it is inferior to the east pagoda in Suljeong-ri and presumably was erected later than that one.

Location