Page:History of Indian and Eastern Architecture Vol 2.djvu/559

 CHAP. lit. TEMPLE OF THE GREAT DRAGON. 459 CHAPTER III. CONTENTS. Temple of the Great Dragon Buddhist Temples Tombs Pagodas- P'ai-lus Domestic Architecture. TEMPLE OF THE GREAT DRAGON, PEKIN. THE most magnificent temple in the capital, so far as we know in the empire, is that known as the Temple of Heaven, or the Great Dragon. It is situated close to the southern wall of the city in a square enclosure measuring about a mile each way. From the outer gate a raised causeway leads to the temple, on either side of which, for the accommodation of the priests, are numerous buildings approached by frequent flights of steps leading down to a park beautifully planted. In the central part of the enclosure are two altars, distin- guished as the North and South. The South altar consists of a circular platform of three concentric terraces, the upper one 90 ft. in diameter, the middle terrace 150 ft, and the lower one 210 ft, all enclosed with balustrades and raised about 6 ft. one above the other; these terraces are ascended by four flights of steps on the north, east, south and west sides respectively. In the centre of the platform are the five sacred vessels found in all Buddhist temples, over which a canopy is erected on the occasion of a celebration. The North altar is situated about 1 500 ft. north of the South altar, differ- ing from the latter only in the number of flights of steps, there being eight flights, three of which are placed side by side on the north end, the central portion of the middle flight forming a gradual slope and covered with dragons and clouds in relief. In the centre of the upper terrace is the circular structure known as the Ch'i-nien T'ien (Heaven's Palace) shown in the woodcut No. 492, which has the appearance of a three- storeyed structure, but in reality consists of a central hall 90 ft. in height with double aisles round, the roofs over which are shown in the woodcut. The roof with its widely projecting eaves and the drum below are carried by four immense columns, 4 ft. in diameter, the second roof and drum are carried by twelve