pagoda

A Buddhist temple in the form of a square or polygonal tower with roofs projecting from each of its many stories, erected as a memorial or to hold relics. From the stupa, the Indian prototype, the pagoda gradually changed in form to resemble the traditional multistoried watch tower as it spread with Buddhism to China and Japan. Pagodas were initially of timber, but from the 6th century on, were more frequently of brick or stone, possibly due to Indian influence.