BUDDHIST ARCHITECTURE

1. BY KIRTI GARG
BUDDHIST
ARCHITECTURE

2. AN INTRODUCTION
One of the finest and world famous architectur
e is the buddhist architecture. Buddhist archite
cture started around 400 ce even before the d
eath of buddha. It was during mauryan period
that buddhist architecture developed many bu
ddha images. One of the earliest and the world
famous buddhist sites include sanchi stupa in i
ndia. It was built by king ashoka of mauryan d
ynasty. Several pillars were also constructed dur
ing mauryan period

3. PRINCIPLE CONTRIBUTION
A SERIES OF
EDICTS INSCRIBED
ON THE ROCKS
A GROUP OF
ROCKCUT
CHAMBERS
A NUMBER OF
TUMLI OR STUPAS
CERTAIN
MONOLITHIC
PILLARS
SEVERAL
MONOLITHIC
ACESSORIES TO
SHRINES
THE REMAINS OF
A VAST PALACE

4. BUDDHIST STUPAS
Stupa holds a very important place in the Buddhi
st architecture. Stupa is a hemispherical mound li
ke structure which was used for doing meditation
. It is usually surrounded by fence. Stupas usually
have a pradakhshina path which is the culture of
the Buddhism. It is believed that stupa existed ev
en before Buddha and the Sramana (one who pe
rforms acts of austerity) were buried in seated po
sition called as Chaityas.
The early archaeological evidence of the presence
of Stupa dates back to 4th century BC. Some of th
e important and world famous stupas in India inc
lude Sanchi, Sarnath, Amaravati, Sonari stupas an
d many more.

5. ORIGIN OF STUPAS
•The Sanskrit term stupa refers to a heap. It began as a small semi-
circular earthen mound known as Anda.
• These places were considered sacred because they were associate
d with Buddha's life. The art of writing flourished throughout Asho
ka's reign.
•A stupa is a relic-filled mound-like or hemispheric structure used fo
r meditation
•From the Vedic time onwards, stupas
were used as burial mounds in India.
•It's a traditional depiction of a burial cu
mulus, where the dead's relics and ashe
s are maintained.
•The art of stupas reached its pinnacle
during the era of Ashoka. During his re
ign, around 84000 stupas were built.

6. ORIGIN OF STUPAS
•Before the period of Ashoka, the stupa was common throughout India. T
he stupas became objects of cult worship from the moment Ashoka bro
ke up the Buddha's existing body relics and created monuments to enshri
ne them.
•According to Buddhist tradition, the nine stupas were originally built fol
lowing Buddha's death, eight over the relics and one over the vessel in w
hich the relics were first put.
•At Rajagriha, Vaishali, Kapilvastu, Allakapa, Ramagrama, Vethadipa, P
ava, Kushinagar, and Pippalvina, stupas were built over Buddha relics.
•The stupa is made up of a cylindrical drum and a circular anda with a h
armika and chhatra on top, which are mostly the same with minor variati
ons in shape and size.

8. FEATURES OF STUPAS
•The stupa's core was composed of unburnt brick, with a burnt brick
outer face covered in a thick coating of plaster.
•The stupa was capped by a wooden railing that encircled a pradaks
hina walkway (circumambulatory path).
•It is a magnificent stupa with a circumambulatory route and a circul
ar mound. During the time of Ashoka, the big stupa at Sanchi was
erected with bricks, then covered with stone and many further additi
ons were made.
•Gateways were added in addition to the circumambulatory circuit.
With the elaborations in stupa design, architects and sculptors had p
lenty of room to plan elaborations and carve out images.
•Wooden sculptures were used to embellish the medhi and toran.
As a form of worship, devotees walk around the pradakshina patha,
or open ambulatory pathway.
•Sculptures were largely utilized to decorate stupas, the torana, and
the medhi, as well as a form of religious expression.

9. FEATURES OF STUPAS
•The three chhatra on the stupas symbolize the Buddhist triratnas
: Buddha (the enlightened), Dhamma (doctrine), and Sangh (commu
nity).
•Gateways were added in addition to the circumambulatory circuit.
With the elaborations in stupa design, architects and sculptors had p
lenty of room to plan elaborations and carve out images.
•Bairat in Rajasthan has one of the outstanding examples of a stupa
building from the third century BCE.
•Sanchi Stupa in Madhya Pradesh, for example, is the most well-kn
own Ashokan stupa. The oldest is the Piprahwa stupa in Uttar Prade
sh.
•Rajagriha, Vaishali, Kapilavastu, Allakappa, Ramagrama, Vethapida, P
ava, Kushinagar, and Pippalivana are the nine stupas built following B
uddha's death.

11. BUDDHIST COLUMNS

12. ASHOKA PILLARS