Road less traveled: Beijing Art Museum of Stone Carvings

Beijing Art Museum of Stone Carvings is a little-known treasure trove hidden in the downtown. Feng Jun/For China Daily

Tucked in a quiet alley and housed in an Indian-style Buddhist temple of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Beijing Art Museum of Stone Carvings is a little-known place in Beijing not to be missed by those interested in religious art and history.

On the site of the museum was originally the Temple of the Great Righteous Awakening, or more colloquially the Five Pagoda Temple, named so because of the five pagodas on the temple's square foundation that stands at 7.7 meters tall.

The architectural style is that of a "diamond throne pagoda", which is inspired by the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya, India - the spot where Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment. But the Diamond Throne Tower of Five Pagoda Temple has a more Chinese element with glazed-tile roofs.

Among the decorations of the Diamond Throne Tower is a pair of footprints that symbolizes the spread of Buddhism all over the world. Traces of red pigments remain from the previous painting of the pedestal.

It is unclear how the architectural style of the Mahabodhi Temple was introduced to China. According to one legend, the high-ranking Indian monk Pandida presented the design to the imperial court during the reign of Ming Emperor Yongle in the early 15th century.

But it wasn't until the reign of the Ming Emperor Chenghua in 1473 that the temple was constructed. Besides the marble construction of the diamond throne pagoda, the temple complex also contains a number of wooden buildings.

The temple complex was damaged by fire in 1860, during the Second Opium War and again in 1900 by the Eight-Nation Alliance. Only the stone structure of the five-pagoda building proper survived the destruction. The wooden halls perished, but the pedestal that once supported the Big Treasure Hall remains unharmed.

Location: 24 Wutasi village, Baishi-qiao, to the northwest of Beijing Zoo.

Tel: 010-6217-3543

Open: 9 am-4 pm (closed on Monday)