Stupa is a funeral tumuli that evolved from earthen mounds (or smasana) containing remains or ashes of the dead within a reliquary container.
ORIGIN OF STUPA ARCHITECTURE
There are references to the stupa in Rigveda, which means that stupas were there from ancient times. Satapatha Brahmana mentions a square-shaped mound for Devata on the burial ground after cremation. However, Buddism developed stupas into large structures and sacred pilgrimage sites.
According to Mahāparinibbānasutta, Buddha told his disciples ( Ananda, Sariputta and Mahamogalana), “After he has passed away, his relics should be enshrined in a stūpa erected at a crossroads, and that the stūpa should be honoured with garlands, incense, and sandalwood paste. “
However, after the death of Buddha, a dispute arose among his followers. So, the relics were distributed to ten groups of followers. Each of them built stupas in their hometowns, like Kapilavastu, Kushinagara, Rajgir, Vaishali, Allakappa, Ramagrama, Vethadipa, and Pava.
The eight stupas of Kapilavastu, Kushinagara, Rajgir, Vaishali, Allakappa, Ramagrama, Vethadipa, and Pava are known as Saririka chaityas. Drona, the Brahmin who instigated the division of relics, erected a Stupa with the original relic urn.
The tenth stupa was built at Pipphalavana. Mouriyas were given the wood ashes from the cremation pyre. The stupa of Pipphalavan was constructed over these wooden ashes. (The eight stupas had the ashes or relics of Buddha, the Ninth one had the urn, and the tenth one had the wooden ashes.)
Later, during the period of emperor Ashoka, these stupas were reconstructed along with many other new ones. From the period of Ashoka, the stupas had a precise architecture that served as a model for later stupas.
In the later stage, stupas were constructed with disciples of Budhha and other important Buddhist monks.
Initially, the stupas were constructed with clay. The first stupas of Sanchi and Bharhut are made of clay. After Ashoka, the use of bricks and stones became popular. The old stupas were reconstructed and renovated many times. For example, the Sanchi stupa was wrapped in stone two centuries after Ashoka and broadened to twice its original size.
LOCATIONS OF STUPAS
Stupas were generally constructed near the urban centres and along major trade and pilgrimage routes or places associated with the life of Buddha.
The following are the examples.
- Mrigadava was situated near Kashi.
- Amaravati stupa existed near the Satavahana capital, Daranikotta.
- Sanchi stupa is located near Vidisha.
- The Dharmarajika stupa stood outside Taxila or Takshashila.
- Nagarjunakonda existed outside the Ikshvaku capital Vijayapuri.
- The Stupa of Pava and Kushingara is related to Buddha’s life. Budhha was affected by dysentery while he was at Pava. Instead of staying at Pava, he moved to the nearby town of Kushinagara. On the outskirts of Kushinagara, Buddha Buddha attained Parinirvana.
STRUCTURE OF STUPA OR STUPA ARCHITECTURE
Ancient stupas were composed of three parts.
- A low circular base or “Medhi“.
- A hemispherical dome or “Anda“.
- A square pavilion over the dome is called” Harmika“.
The hemispherical dome contains a small chamber at the centre. This chamber holds relics of Buddha or other monks. Unburned bricks were employed to construct the core of the stupa. The outer face is covered with burned bricks and a layer of plaster.
The hemispherical base of the stupa was supported by a circular base called Medhi or Pupphaddhana (This name is used in Srilanka). Medhi was approached by a double ramp on the south and surrounded by a railing functioning as an upper possession way.
The harmika is enclosed again by a railing surrounding the sacred parasol (umbrella) or chatra. In Mahayana literature, the name Chaturassa-Caya is used instead of harmika. In Srilanka, this structure is known by another name, Devata kotuwa or Fortress of Gods.
The whole structure is surrounded by a massive rail with four Toranas, or glorious gateways, at four cardinal points of the stupa. Initially, this was a wooden structure, which was later replaced with stones and elaborate carvings of animals and dwarfs.
When people tried to increase the stupa’s height, each component’s height increased. So, the circular base was transformed into a tall cylindrical drum, and a square plinth was added to the whole structure. The Chatra also change to a tampering row of flat discs.
LARGEST STUPA IN THE WORLD
The Abhayagiri Dagaba of Anuradhapura, Srilanka, was 327 feet in diameter. This stupa was larger than some of the pyramids in Egypt. Dagaba is the word used in Srilanka for stupas.
In India, the Sanchi stupa was a larger stupa, and in respect of size, only a few Indian stupas greatly exceeded the Sanchi stupa. The Kesaria Stupa of Bihar is believed to be the tallest and largest Buddhist stupa in India.
Phra Pathommachedi in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand, is the world’s tallest stupa, and Borobudur stupa is the largest. It is a temple complex constructed in the shape of a Buddhist stupa.
