Buddhist architecture began with symbols representing the Buddha's life and spread through architectural monuments established by Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE. The three main structure types were monasteries (viharas), places to venerate relics (stupas), and prayer halls (chaityas or chaitya grihas). In early Hinayana Buddhism, Buddha was represented symbolically, while in later Mahayana Buddhism sculptures depicted Buddha in various postures. Key elements included stupas, viharas, and chaityas - the latter being prayer halls with stupas and colonnades accommodating gatherings.

1. Buddhist
Architecture

2. Buddhism
• Buddhism encourages its people to avoid self-indulgence but also
self-denial. Buddha's most important teachings, known as The
Four Noble Truths, are essential to understanding the religion.
Buddhists embrace the concepts of karma (the law of cause and
effect) and reincarnation (the continuous cycle of rebirth).

3. Introduction
The Buddhist Architecture began with the development of
various symbols, representing aspects of the Buddha's
life(563BCE- 483BCE)
Indian Emperor Ashoka, not only established Buddhism as the
state religion of his large Magadh empire, but also opted for
the Architectural monuments to spread Buddhism in different
places.The major features of this style are Stupas, Stambhas,
Chaityas, Viharas.

4. Beginni
ng of
Buddhist
architect
ure in
India
•. Buddhist religious architecture developed in the IndianSubcontinent in the 3rd century BCE.
• Three types of structures are associated with the religious architecture of early Buddhism:
monasteries (Viharas),places to venerate relics (stupas), and shrines or prayerhalls (chaityas also called
chaitya grihas), which later came to be called temples in some places.This religion initially did not involve
making of figures or idols but graduallythe followers started making sculptural representations of
Buddha.

5. • There are 2 phases of Buddhism:
• 1. HINAYANA- 2ND CENTURY BC- 2ND CENTURY AD.
• 2. MAHAYANA- 3RD CENTURY AD - 7TH CENTURY AD

6. Hinayana
•Buddha was represented by religious symbols like, Dharmachakra, Chattri,Footprints, etc. (idols were originally not used)
Mahayana
•Buddha was represented by sculptures carved out in various sizes, depicting various postures like standing, sitting, laying,etc.
Buddhist architecture
Monolithic pillars Stupas Chaityas Viharas

7. Buddhism- religion influencing
architecture
• Intended to enshrine relics of the Buddha, they were built in various shapes and often accompanied by a vahalkada, or
decorative frontispiece.
• Another architectural creation associated with stupas and unique to ancient SriLankan architecture was the vatadage , a
circular Buddhist structure built around small stupas.
• The three key elements of Buddhist architecture are
Stupas, Viharas and Chaityas.

8. • CHAITYAS
•A Buddhist shrine or prayer hall with stupa at one end.
•Made for large gatherings of devotees
•Made in rock-cut due to permanency of structure
•Chaityas were influenced by ascetic lifestyle of Vedic period and tendency of hermits to retire in solitude

9. Basic Characteristics
• Accommodates Stupa
• Apsidal Plan
• No division between nave and chaityai.e space for congregational service not clearly defined
• Vaulted hall
• Colonnades
• Side aisles

11. • Chaitya Arch
• Chaityas noramlly had a great-horseshoe archway with a
wall or screen below
• There was sun window in centre of arcway to let light in
• First horseshoe arch was seen at Bhaja
• Sun window is semi circular aperture divided into lunettes
using curved wood transoms and wooden braces

12. Viharas
•A monastey, arrangement of cells for accomodation of monks
• Dwellings were simply wooden construction/thatched bamboo huts
•Near settlements on trade routes
•After first century AD, Viharas came in as educational institutes

13. • Basic Characteristics
• Quadrangular court for gathering
• Surrounded by small cells
• Front wall incorporated a shrine for image of Buddha
• Cells had rock cut platforms for beds
• Viharas were not alike in design
• Doorways were on sides of the walls of main hall

14. • Construction and Materials
•Rock-cut architecturebasicallyaped wooden construction down to joinerydetails
•Hardly structural
•In brick, corbelled arches are used, and very large bricks to for large span
•motifs used floral patterns, animals(used throughout the kingdom)

15. Chaitya hall at bHajja
• The stupa evolved from being a funerary mound carrying object of worship, had a sacral value.
• Building needed to accommodate copies of stupa and provide shelter
• A structural house for religious rites
• Birth of temples with idol worship
• Building had almost circular plan and a domed roof

16. • Architectural features
•Wooden construction inspired from Vedic period imitated in natural rock
•Supplemented with wooden surfaces fore.g .. Screens etc. (half timber construction)
•Shows similarities to Roman concept of column and arch, but no evidence of any relation

17. • Rectangular halls with finely polished interior walls
•Well proportioned pillars with capitals(around 35)
•Semi circular roof
•Pillar had three parts: prop, base buried in ground and shaft
•Stupa at the end
•Extensive use of motifs, decorative and symbolic.