stupa

 

(stū'pə) [Sanskrit,=mound], Buddhist monument in tumulus, or mound, form, often containing relics. The words tope and dagoba are synonymous, though the latter properly refers only to a Sinhalese Buddhist stupa. The stupa is probably derived from a pre-Buddhist burial mound. The oldest known prototypes (c.700 B.C.) are the enormous mounds of earth at Lauriya Nandangarh in NE India, which were the burial places of royalty. The wooden masts embedded in the center of these mounds probably carried the umbrellas that served as a symbol of royalty and authority; early Buddhists appropriated not only the royal symbol of the stupa but also used the umbrella as a symbol for the Buddha. The Emperor Asoka was the first to encourage the building of stupas. The earliest mound forms that can properly be termed stupas, those at Sanchi and Bharhut (see Indian art and architecture), are hemispherical masses of earth raised on a base and faced with brick or stone. The structure is surrounded by a processional path, the whole being enclosed by a stone railing and topped by a balcony. Though in its development the stupa often became elaborate and complex, in its purest form the plan consisted of a circle within a square. Many of the most significant monuments of the Buddhist world are stupas, and they can be found in every country in which Buddhism has been practiced. Some examples are the Thuparama dagoba (244 B.C.) in Sri Lanka, Borobudur in Java (8th or 9th cent. A.D.), and the Mingalazedi stupa in Myanmar (A.D. 1274). In East Asian Buddhist architecture, the function of the stupa has been taken over by the pagoda.

A stupa (from the Pāli) is a type of Buddhist mound-like structure found across the Indian subcontinent, other parts of Asia, and increasingly in the Western World.

Stupas are known in many Southeast Asian countries as chedi, for example Thai เจดีย์ (from a Pāli synonym of stupa: Chaitya); in some countries (particularly Sri Lanka) as dagoba (from Sanskrit dhatu, an element, component, or relic; and garbha, a storehouse or repository); or as tope (from Hindi top, derived from Sanskrit stūpa, a heap).

Description and History

The stupa is the latest Buddhist religious monument and was originally only a simple mound made up of mud or clay, as of now they are making stupa temples out of platinum to keep the rust from Buddhas remains. (or a cairn in barren areas) to cover supposed relics of the Buddha. After the "passing away" of the Buddha, his remains were cremated and the ashes divided and buried under eight stupas with two further stupas encasing the urn and the embers. Little is known about these early stupas, particularly since it has not been possible to identify the original ten monuments. However, some later stupas, such as at Sarnath and Sanchi, seem to be embellishments of earlier mounds.

In the third century BCE, after his conversion to Buddhism, the emperor Ashoka had the original stupas opened and the remains distributed among the several thousand stupas he had built. Nevertheless, the stupas at the eight places associated with the life of the Buddha continued to be of particular importance. Accordingly, the importance of a stupa changed from being a funerary monument to being an object of veneration. As a consequence their appearance changed also.

They evolved into large hemispherical mounds with features such as the torana (gateway), the vedica (fence-like enclosure evolved from the vedic villages), the harmika (a square platform with railings on top of the stupa), chattrayashti (the parasol or canopy) and a circumambulatory around the stupa. From the first century BCE onwards, stupas were incorporated into the hall of the chaitya-griha.

The oldest known stupa is the Dhamek Stupa at Sanchi, India, while the tallest is the Phra Pathom Chedi in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand, with a height of 127 metres. The most elaborate stupa is the 8th century Borobudur monument in Java, Indonesia. The upper rounded terrace with rows of bell shaped stupas contained buddha images symbolize Arupadhatu, the sphere of formlesness. The main stupa itself is empty, symbolizing complete perfection of enlightment. The main stupa only the crown part of the monument. While the base is pyramidal structure elaborate with galleries adorned with bas relief of scenes derived from Buddhist text depicted the life of Siddharta Gautama. Borobudur unique and significant architecture has been acknowledge by UNESCO as the largest buddhist monument in the world.

The stupa evolved into the pagoda as Buddhism spread to other Asian countries. The pagoda has varied forms that also include bellshaped and pyramidal ones. Today, in the Western context, there is no clear distinction between the stupa and the pagoda. But in general stupa is used for a Buddhist structure of India or south-east Asia, while pagoda refers to a building in east Asia which can be entered and which may be secular in purpose.

Fundamentally, a stupa is essentially made up of the following five constituent parts:

• a square base
• a hemispherical dome
• a conical spire
• a crescent moon
• a circular disc

Each component is rich in metaphoric content. For example, "the shape of the stupa represents the Buddha, crowned and sitting in meditation posture on a lion throne. His crown is the top of the spire; his head is the square at the spire's base; his body is the vase shape; his legs are the four steps of the lower terrace; and the base is his throne." ^[1] The components of the stupa are also identified with the five elements — earth, water, fire, air, and space — held to constitute the fabric of manifest existence.

Regional names for stupa include:

• Chaitya - Nepal
• Candi - Indonesia and Malaysia
• Chedi - Thailand
• Chorten - Tibet and Bhutan
• Dagoba/Chaitiya - Sri Lanka
• Chedey - Cambodia
• Sübürgen - Mongolia
• Tap - Korea
• That - Laos
• Ta - China (塔lit: "tower")
• Tō - Japan (塔 lit: "tower")
• Zedi (စေတီ) /Pahto (ပုထုိး) - Myanmar

Gallery

Stupa at Samye Ling Monastery, Scotland	Colombo, Sri Lanka	Shwedagon in Yangon, Myanmar	Phra Pathom Chedi, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand
Chedi Phra Sri Rattana, Bangkok, Thailand	That Louang in Vientiane (Laos)	Wat Phnom, Phnom Penh, Cambodia	Chörten, Tibet
Chörten, Ladakh	Stupa in Gangtok, Sikkim	Chörten, Tibet	The Buddhist Stupa at Kuruhinna in Gan Island Haddhunmathi Atoll, Maldives. Western Side
Carved decoration of the Northern gateway to the Great Stupa of Sanchi	Jaulian Stupa in Bhuddist Monastery in Taxila,Pakistan	Dhammakaya stupa,Wat Phra Dhammakaya, Thailand	Stupa of King Norodom Suramarit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Boudnanath Stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal	Swayambhunath Stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal	Mankiala Stupa near near Rawalpindi ,Pakistan

References

• Mitra, D. (1971). Buddhist Monuments. Sahitya Samsad: Calcutta. ISBN 0-89684-490-0.
• The Stupa - Yoga's Sacred Architecture

See also

• Mankiala Stupa
• Pagoda
• Prayer beads
• Prayer wheel
• Peace Pagoda
• Tibetan prayer flag

External links

• Stupas.org is an entire site dedicated to the history and meaning of stupas
• Wolrd's Largest Buddhist Pagoda, India
• Shambhala Mountain Center, One of the largest Stupas in North America
• Gyantse's Kumbum Stupa
• The Stupa Information Page
• KPC Stupa Project
• Dhardo Rimpoche Stupa at Padmaloka
• Largest Stupa in Europe, 'The Englightenment Stupa' in Spain
• 1st Tibetan Stupa in America (USA) Changchup Stupa
• What is a Stupa?
• Stupas, Tempel und verwandte Bauwerke aus drei Felsbildstationen bei Chilas am oberen Indus (Nordpakistan) in German
• Meaning of the Thai Chedi

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