A DETAILED STUDY OF BUDDHIST ARCHITECTURE

1. BUDDHIST
ARCHITECTURE

2. • Buddhist is a very important
religion all over the world.
• It was founded by Gautam Buddha
in 6th century BC.
• Real name of Buddha was Prince
Siddhart.
• He left his luxurious life in search
of truth after looking the pain of
common people in his kingdom.
• He spent many years roaming to
different places.
• Later he started giving the
preachings.

3. • Buddhist architecture
began with the
development of various
symbols, representing
aspects of Buddha’s
life(563BCE-483BCE).
• Indian emperor Ashoka
promoted the religion
very much.

4. The major
features of
this style are:
• Stupas
• Pillars or
Lats
• Chaityas
• Viharas

5. STUPA
• A stupa is a mound-
like structure
containing relics of
Buddha.
• This is used as a
place of worship.
• Stupas are a circular
tumuli built of earth,
covered with stone or
brick.

9. Sanchi Stupa
• It is the olden stone
structure in India in
3rd century BCE.
• It’s nucleus was
simple hemispherical
brick structure built
over the relics of the
Buddha.
• It’s crowned by
chatra.
• It’s main focus is the
beautiful gateway.

10. Torana
• Torana consist of two
square uprite columns
with capital of lion or
elephant heads
denoting strength.
• These support three
horizontal panels .
• Total height of this
erection is 10.36m and
it’s 3m wide.

11. PILLARS OR LATS
• Pillars are the
vertical uprights,
which were common
in all styles of Indian
architecture.
• In Buddhist
architecture they had
inscriptions on there
shaft with emblems
of animals on there
capitals.

12. Ashokan Pillar
• It has a sculpture of
four lions facing all the
four directions at it’s
top.
• These lions support a
massive wheel with 24
spokes which represent
the 24 hours of the day.
• It’s height is 15m with
capital of more than 2m
high.

14. CHAITYA
• These are the places used
as temples and assembly
halls.
• They had small
rectangular doorway
which opens to the hall
with apsidal ends and
divided longitudinally by
two columns .
• At the end there is stupa .
• The roof is usually semi-
circular.

19. VIHARA
• A monastery , arrangement of cells
for accommodation of monks.
• Dwellings were simply wooden
construction / thatched bamboo huts.
• Near settlement on trade route .
• Quadrangular count for gathering.
• Doorways were on sides of the walls
of main halls.
• Cells had rock cut platforms for beds.
• Front wall had shrines for Buddha's
image.

22. ROCK CUT ARCHITECTURE
• It’s a creation of structures,
buildings , and sculptures , by
excavating solid rock where it
naturally occurred.
• Interior were usually carved out by
starting at roof of the planned
space and then working downward.

23. • The technique prevents stone
fallings on workers below’
• The three main uses of rock cut
architecture are –
- Temples
- Tombs
- Cave dwellings
• Numerous caves were excavated
by Buddhist monks for prayer and
residence purpose.

25. THANK YOU