Temple of Heaven

The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests , Temple of Heaven - The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests (祈年殿) is a magnificent triple-gabled circular building, 36 meters in diameter and 38 meters tall, built on three levels of marble stone base, where the Emperor prayed for good harvests. It is the place where emperors came to pray for good harvests on the 15th day of the first lunar month every year. The building is completely wooden, with no nails. The original building was burned down by a fire caused by lightning in 1889. The current building was re-built several years after the incident.This building features an interesting configuration of supporting pillars which contribute to the strong sense of numerology in traditional religion in China. The lower level is supported by 4 pillars representing the 4 Seasons, the second level by 12 pillars representing the months and the third level by a further 12 pillars representing the hours of day and night. The total number of pillars add up to 28 representing the constellations in the sky all of which add to the concept that this entire site represents the connection of Earth (brown) and Heaven (Blue) in the predominant colour scheme. The hall includes plaques to commemorate all the emperors except the last two who are considered to not really have been anything but a prisoner(the final Emperor) or a puppet(the second last)