To suppress Feng Shui or evil spirits.
The pagoda is a traditional oriental building with a specific form and style that is common in Asia. It is a towering point-type building that enshrines or collects Buddha relics (Buddha bones), Buddha statues, Buddhist scriptures, monks' remains, etc., and is called "Buddha" or "Pagoda".
A pagoda originally refers to a building made of bricks and stones to house the Buddha's relics and other objects. Later, it also generally refers to the place where the Buddha was born, became enlightened, turned around, and parinirvana. There are even buildings made of earth, stone, bricks, wood, etc. to house the statues of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, the footprints of the Buddha, the remains of the ancestors and eminent monks, etc. The origin of pagoda building can be traced back to the time of Buddha. According to records, Elder Xu Da once asked for the hair of the Buddha and used it to build a stupa as an offering. After the Buddha passed away, eight countries, including the Po Po Kingdom, took eight pieces of the Buddha's relics and returned them to their stupas to make offerings. There are many stupas built in the past dynasties in our country. According to records, during the Three Kingdoms period, a monk found a relic. Sun Quan had him hit it with an iron hammer but the relic did not break, so he built a pagoda to offer it. This may be the beginning of the construction of relic pagodas in China. During the reign of Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, the practice of building stupas across the country was extremely popular. From 601 AD to 602 AD, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty ordered eighty-two temples in the world to erect pagodas. Since then, there have been activities to build and repair stupas in all dynasties. After the Yuan Dynasty, most Buddhist temples only built Buddhist halls but not pagodas. The importance of the pagoda gradually declined and was replaced by the shrine. Although a pagoda is a kind of building, Buddhism believes that people can accumulate merit through it.