These are usually monuments to great personalities and enshrine their ashes or calcified remains. Pagodas are said to have evolved from the dome-shaped stupas of India and now resemble multi-storied buildings with "roofs" on each level and often pilasters on the corners and sides. They always have an uneven number of storeys and also once had an ornate metal finial, a decoration on the top. Sadly, the iron bars on which they were secured have deteriorated and most of the pieces have been lost. (These days, there is a fashion to replace the finial with a modern replica.).

Originally pagodas were built of wood. This can easily be seen in the older ones because the brick and later the stone subsequently used was fashioned in the same manner -- as if it was wood. As time went by, brick-like stone became the common building material. A fine example of this is the pagoda at the site of Punhwang-sa, in Kyongju. The oldest and largest is the partially destroyed pagoda at the Miruk-sa site on Iksan which was built in seventh century Paekje. Although most of the extant pagodas are from the Koryo Period (916-1392), there are still many dating from the Shilla period. These pagodas stand out because of the loveliness of their proportions and the lightness, almost elegance of the design. At Sonam-sa in Songju, standing by the path to the temple together with other pudo and monuments, is a most unusual sari container. On the base sit four animals holding up a little three-storey pagoda.