Temple of Heaven

Historical Event
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A sacred space may be defined as an area that has been dedicated to a holy purpose. It is important to note that sacred spaced are found across almost all religions and traditions across the world which have identified and set aside sacred areas that are used purposely for specific functions such as worshiping and conducting essential rituals. The names given to this places differs depending on the faith of the people, but the purpose remains unchanged; it is where individuals encounter divine is a special and unique way. This paper will examine and describe different features of the Temple of Heaven complex, Beijing, China.
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Temple of Heaven was founded in the first half of the fifteenth century as a complex of cult buildings during the reign of Yongle Emperor, of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Di. The same emperor was responsible for the construction of the Forbidden City. However, in the sixteenth century, the Jiajing Emperor expanded and renamed it the Temple of Heaven. This temple was mainly constructed to provide a link between heaven and earth; it was the center of imperial ritual ceremony for Ming and Qing Dynasties. The temple of Heaven serves as one of the best examples of the ancient sacred spaces where the emperors would carry out elaborate and exalted rituals, and sacrifices address the supreme ruler of the universe to bless them with bumper harvests. The temple is located in the old city of Beijing, in Xuan Wu district and this place was ideal because it was easily accessible to the ancient rulers.[New World Encyclopedia, 2015. "Temple of Heaven." November 18. Accessed March 29, 2019.]
Temple of Heaven significantly represents the ancient Chinese ritual architecture, and it is recognized for its distinctive structure, rigorous symbolic layout, and the impressive and attractive decorations. The temple occupies an area of about 6670 acres. The whole architectural and design of the Temple of Heaven is based on the relationship between heaven and earth which was the key of Chinese cosmology at that time. The model of the temple represents its sacred purpose, and most importantly it also reflects the divine cosmological laws that were believed to have been the center of the operating of the universe.
The temple’s structures were also systematically planned and organized by the architectures, the Circular Mound Altar and the Altar of Prayer of Good Harvests were situated in the same courtyard. The Circular Mound Altar was located in the southern side of the yard, and this is where the emperors prayed to heaven and communicated with the heavenly gods. On the other side, the Altar of Prayer for Good Harvest was situated to the north and just as the name implies, it used to be placed where the emperors prayed for abundant harvests. According to the ancient Chinese philosophy, the earth was a hemispheric structure while the earth formed a square. The architectures used this information in the construction of the temple, and the wall in the southern side was designed in the shape of a square which represented the earth while the upper side took the form of a circle which represented heaven. These walls were referred to as the walls of heaven and earth, the Alter and the Mound are separated by walls but are connected with a stone bridge which is 360 meters in length.[China Culture Tour, 2015. "The Temple of Heaven." Accessed March 29, 2019.]
Additionally, the temple represented the eight cardinal and inter-cardinal directions which include north, northwest, east, southeast, south, southwest, west, and northwest. This number eight is crucial among the Chinese as it indicates the fundamental principles of reality. Most importantly, the pattern of the floor also provided a concentric pattern; it had nine rings each with a multiple of eight fan-shaped stones. The first circle consisted of eight stones, the second one sixteen stones and so on up to the ninth circle which had seventy-two stones. The total number of the stones were three hundred and sixty which ...