stupa

(noun)

A dome-shaped Buddhist monument, used to house Buddhist relics.

Related Terms

Examples of stupa in the following topics:

  • Buddhist Stupas

    • Stupas exist all over the world and are the oldest Buddhist religious monuments.
    • Emperor Ashoka, who ruled from 274-236 BCE during the Maurya Empire, is said to have redistributed the relics housed in the original stupas into thousands of stupas throughout India.
    • While they can vary visually, all stupas have a few features in common.
    • In addition, the stupa is considered a place of worship, and many Buddhists complete pilgrimages to significant stupas.
    • Emperor Ashoka is credited with construction of numerous stupas that remain to this day, including the stupa at Sanchi.

  • Buddhist Architecture and Sculpture

    • The earliest surviving example of a stupa is in Sanchi (Madhya Pradesh).
    • Sri Lankan stupas were among the largest brick structures known to the premodern world.
    • The Sri Lankan stupa is characterized by its vahalkada, or frontispiece: a structure, often ornately carved, joining the stupa and often using cardinal directions as a decorative flourish.
    • Built from baked bricks bound with limestone, sand, and clay and coated with lime plaster, this stupa stands at 400 feet and was the tallest stupa in the ancient world.
    • Another architectural creation associated with stupas and unique to ancient Sri Lankan architecture was the Vatadage, a circular Buddhist structure built around small stupas.

  • Burmese Art

    • Starting from the 4th century CE, the Pyu began to build stupas and other religious buildings.
    • These solid stupas served as models for later pagodas.
    • It is considered a prototype of Burmese stupas and consists of a bell-shaped goldleaf-gilded stupa surrounded by smaller temples and shrines.
    • It is marked by a solid, bell-shaped stupa.
    • A view of the stupas in Bagan (formerly Pagan), the capital of the Pagan Empire.

  • Buddhist Architecture in Indonesia

    • The last three levels simply contain stupas and statues of the Buddha.
    • This image shows the main Stupa crowning the Borobudur, built in the 8th century by the Sailendra dynasty.
    • The uppermost terrace has rows of bell-shaped stupas and Buddha images.
    • The main stupa itself is empty, symbolizing perfect enlightenment.
    • The statue's distinctive crown incorporates a stupa in its design.

  • Pre-Iconic Buddhist Art and Architecture

    • Another characteristic feature of Buddhist architecture was the stupa, a mound-like structure housing the relics of holy men.
    • The Great Stupa at Sanchi is the oldest stone structure of its kind in India and was commissioned by the Maurya emperor Ashoka the Great in the 3rd century BCE.
    • These took the form of votive tablets or sculptural friezes, usually in relation to the decoration of stupas.
    • The Great Stupa at Sanchi is decorated with fine examples of Pre-Iconic Buddhist sculpture.

  • Maurya Dynasty

    • Attributed to Emperor Ashoka, the caves consist of temples, stupas, and monasteries that are carved elaborately out of granite.
    • In addition, Ashoka was responsible for erecting several thousand Buddhist temples and stupas across India, such as the Mahabodhi temple.
    • Another famous example includes the Great Stupas at Sanchi, whose gates are lavishly decorated with lions, elephants, figures of fertility, and images from the Jakata tales.

  • Buddhist Rock-Cut Architecture

    • While many temples, monasteries, and stupas have been destroyed, cave temples are better preserved due to their hidden locations and the fact that they are constructed from stone, a far more durable material than wood, clay, or metal.
    • This second chamber is thought to have contained small, stupa-like structures, though is empty now.
    • The Ajanta caves are considered masterpieces of Buddhist architecture and contain living and sleeping quarters, kitchens, monastic spaces, shrines, and stupas.

  • Architecture during the Six Dynasties Period

    • Although multiple-story towers such as guard towers and residential apartments existed in previous periods, the distinct Chinese pagoda tower (used for storing Buddhist scriptures) evolved during the Six Dynasties period from the stupa, the latter originating from Buddhist traditions of protecting sutras in ancient India.
    • The Chinese transformed the rounded earthen mound of the stupa into the towering pagoda to house the sacred buried relics of Buddha at its core.

  • Jain Sculpture

    • These slabs are decorated with objects and designs central to Jain worship such as the stupa, dharmacakra and triratna, and were often used as offerings or for worship.

  • Buddhist Wall Paintings

    • The caves contain many different elaborately carved rooms as well as figures of gods, stupas, and decorative work, all carved in stone.