Temple of Heaven

Temple of Heaven
The Temple of Heaven [wiki] is a Taoist temple in Beijing, the capital of China. The temple was constructed in 14th century by Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty (who also built the Forbidden City) as his personal temple, where he would pray for good harvest and to atone for the sins of his people.

The Temple's architecture is quite interesting: everything in the temple, which represents Heaven, is circular whereas the ground levels, which represent the Earth, are square.


The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest at the Temple of Heaven, Beijing.
Image: Saad Akhtar [wikipedia]


Close up of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest, Temple of Heaven.
Image: star5112 [Flickr]


Details of the roof of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest. Image: werklife [Flickr]


Ceiling of the Imperial Vault, Temple of Heaven. Image: Carol^-^ [Flickr]