Among the precious cultural legacies created by the Korean nation is Nine-storey Tower at Anguk Temple. This stone tower of the Koryo age is at Anguk Temple in Ponghak-dong, Phyongsong City.
The tower is built of granite. It is 6.23 meters tall with the square plane.
The tower consists of platforms, body and head. Every side of the lower platform is engraved with two lotus patterns the bottoms of which are decorated with bracken leaf patterns in the middle.
The upper platform is a lot higher than the lower one. All the sides of the platforms have three pillars each to be divided into two parts.
The roofing stones are pretty tall and three layers of eaves supports are overhanging.
The middle parts of the eaves edge are hollow and the both ends are smoothly raised. The vestiges of windbells are found at the end of the angle rafters.
On the top of the tower is a globular stone.
The whole tower feels like shooting up without much ascending reduction of distances between the roofing stones but with fair height of platforms, bodystone and roofing stones.
This stone tower is a precious legacy that demonstrates the skills of the Korean people in building stone towers. It is in good preservation and care thanks to the policy of the Workers’ Party of Korea on protecting the national inheritance.
© 2021 KumChaek University of Technology