Story of the east Asian pagoda site after an earthquake (1,7,2,5)
I believe the answer is:
a passage to india
'story of the east' is the definition.
(EM Forster novel set in India)
'asian pagoda site after an earthquake' is the wordplay.
'after an earthquake' is an anagram indicator.
'asian'+'pagoda'+'site'='asianpagodasite'
'asianpagodasite' anagrammed gives 'A PASSAGE TO INDIA'.
(Other definitions for a passage to india that I've seen before include "Book" , "E.M. Forster novel" , "Novel's" , "a journey that ends up in the subcontinent" , "taken by hippies seeking guru?" .)