Both pagodas and gazebos are structures that can be used to provide shade. They typically have a roof or a covering, and if they do not have a roof, there is enough space for people to walk underneath the structure.
There are several differences between a pagoda and a gazebo.
A pagoda is an East Asian tower with multiple stories, where each story has multiple roofs. Traditionally pagodas were built as religious structures such as Buddhist shrines or temples, although they can also be found in other places such as royal palaces or landscaped gardens.
Pagodas come from the Indian architectural style of stupa. Latin American pyramids may also resemble pagodas because they too were built as religious structures.
Gazebos are smaller, free-standing open air pavilions that have a roof and support columns. Gazebos can be found in parks or other landscaped areas. They are typically places for relaxation because they provide shade from the sun. The word 'gazebo' comes from Italian gazebo, which means 'lookout'. They are also known as bandstands or belvederes.
Pagodas normally have multiple stories, whereas gazebos only have one floor. Pagodas often have several roofs on each story of the pagoda, but there may only be one roof per gazebo. Although many people think that pagodas are only Buddhist, pagodas were present in other religions such as Hinduism and Jainism. Gazebos are typically found in Western countries, so pagodas are more associated with East Asian countries.
Pagodas can also be entirely made of wood or stone, where gazebos only use the roof to provide shade. Although gazebos may have wooden columns or flooring, their roofs are always the main source of shading. Pagodas come from the East Asian style architectural design while gazebos originate from Italian architecture.
What is the purpose of pagoda?
A pagoda is a Buddhist structure that has multiple floors and roofs whereas a gazebo is just a small building with one floor and a roof. In addition, pagodas have multiple stories whereas gazebos only have one story.
The shaded area under a pagoda is typically larger than the shaded area of a gazebo. Lastly, pagodas are often made of stone or wood while gazebos would not be able to accommodate these materials.
Pagodas have more floors and roofs than do gazebos, who usually have just one floor and sometimes decorative columns. Furthermore, pagodas can come from East Asian architectural styles where as gazebos encompass Western European design elements such as bandstands or belvederes. A key difference between a wooden pagoda versus a wooden gazebo is that a pagoda would have to be able to accommodate structural elements such as pillars, whereas a gazebo could easily be made out of wood because it has no roof.
Gazebos can be found in parks, gardens and other landscaped areas, while pagodas are normally part of religious structures such as temples or royal palaces. In addition, pagodas come from Indian architecture whereas gazebos originate from Italian architecture.