Arrangement Plan of Inner Mongolia Buddhist Temple

• Published in: Athens Journal of Architecture (online) 2022-12, Vol.8 (1), p.67-90
• Main Authors: Haoribao, Enke, Natsume, Yoshinori, Hamada, Shinichi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2407-9472; 2407-9472
• DOI: 10.30958/aja.8-1-4

Since BC, the construction of cities has been started in the Mongolian Plateau with the establishment of dynasties, but many were turned into ruins. However, the Tibetan Buddhist temples built after the 16th century, which are an indispensable element in the process of settling the Mongolians from nomadic life, have been relatively well preserved in Inner Mongolia. These temples have been thought to be the epitome of the Mongolian economy, culture, art, and construction technology. Therefore, it has a great significance to research them systematically. Interestingly, these temples in Mongolia were originated from Inner Mongolia, which is located on the south side of Mongolia. The architectural design of these temples has been primarily influenced by Chinese and Tibetan temple architecture, suggesting that the temples appear to be considered a vital sample for studying temple architecture in Mongolia or East Asia. So far, there is still no study systematically on temple architecture in Inner Mongolia. Therefore, this research aims to study the arrangement plan of Inner Mongolian Tibetan Buddhist temples, which is the most important factor to consider in the first stage of temple construction.