Stupas

Early Buddhist religious architecture is identified with three kinds of structures: monasteries (viharas), places to worship relics (stupas), and shrines or prayer halls (chaityas, also known as chaitya grihas), which were subsequently referred to as temples in certain regions.

To now talk about stupas:

• Stupas began as an earthen burial ground
• Emerging from the time of Asoka, there were 3 types: Saririka, Paribhogika, and Uddesika
• Numerous chaityas are mentioned in Buddhist literature
• The chaityas also refer to locations related to the Buddha’s life:

• His birthplace (Lumbini), and the spot where he attained enlightenment (Bodh Gaya)
• There he preached for the first time (Sarnath) and
• This is how he gained nibbana (Kusinagara)

Why were stupas built:

• While the history of creating stupas predates Buddhism, they became connected with religion
• Due to the fact that they housed holy relics, the complete stupa became a symbol of both the Buddha and the Buddhist cult
• It was argued to symbolize ‘parinirvana’ of Buddha, that is, salvation from the cycle of rebirth
• Asoka sent parts of the Buddha’s relics to each significant town and ordered the building of stupas over them, according to a Buddhist document known as the Ashokavadana
• The Ashokavadana is a Sanskrit-language literature from India that narrates the Maurya Emperor Ashoka’s birth and reign. Ashokavadana incorporates both mythological and factual events and extols Ashoka as a Buddhist ruler whose only objective was to spread Buddhism far

How were stupas built:

• On the railings and pillars of stupas, inscriptions memorialise gifts paid for their construction and decoration .this is one step of how were stupas built
• Donations were provided by monarchs such as the Satavahanas and guilds such as the ivory workers’ guild, which supported a portion of one of Sanchi’s gates. this is one step of how were stupas built
• Donations were made by women and men who included their names and occupations with their contributions. this is one step of how were stupas built
• Additionally, bhikkhus and bhikkhunis participated in the construction of these structures. In Buddhism, bhikkhus and bhikkhunis are fully ordained female nuns
• This is how stupas were built

The Structure of the Stupa:

• To talk about its structure, the stupa evolved from a basic semi-circular earthen mound known as anda
• Inside the stupa, there are small chambers where the relics of Buddha are placed
• It developed into a more sophisticated construction that included both round and square forms
• It came to contain a small-trailed pavilion , called the harmika, which is a balcony-like structure above the anda, and symbolised the gods’ home
• The harmika was topped by a mast called the yashti, which was often topped with a chhatri or a crowning umbrella known as ‘chatravali’
• Furthermore, chaityas were similar to a prayer room. It featured pillars on each side of a tunnel or walkway that lead to a stupa
• Stupas have more than one circumambulatory path known as the ‘pradakshina path’
• A barrier encircled the mound, isolating the holy sanctuary from the profane world
• Finally, we have a gateway known as ‘toran’
• The early stupas at Sanchi and Bharhut were sparsely decorated save for stone railings that resembled a timber fence
• Later on, the stupas’ mounds were intricately carved with niches and statues, like at Amaravati and Peshawar’s Shahji-ki-Dheri (Pakistan)

“Discovering” Stupas: The Fate of Amaravati and Sanchi

• In 1854, Walter Elliot, Guntur’s commissioner, paid a visit to Amaravati and acquired many sculptural panels, which he sent to Madras (called the Elliot marbles)
• He concluded that Amaravati’s building was one of the greatest and most spectacular Buddhist stupas ever constructed
• However, slabs of the building have been moved to other study locations or discovered in the gardens of British authorities
• Sanchi stupa survived because academics recognised its significance and worth, although Amaravati stupa did not, since it was founded earlier to this recognition

Sculpture Stories in Stone:

• The scenario shown here is from the Vessantara Jataka
• It is the tale of a kind prince who donated everything to a Brahmana and fled to the jungle with his wife and children
• Historians often attempt to decipher a sculpture’s meaning by comparing it to textual data

Conclusion

Buddhist stupas were initially constructed to store the earthly remains of the historical Buddha and his associates, and they are nearly always found at Buddhist holy places. In this chapter, we have looked into the architecture of the stupa and highlighted its evolution and history. We have looked into how donations from the monarch, guilds, ordinary people, ‘bhikkhus’ and ‘bhikkhunis’ were used to build stupas