Chaityas are Buddhist shrines or prayer halls that evolved from places of rest and meditation. The earliest chaityas date back to the 3rd century BCE. Chaityas have distinct architectural features including a dome representing the universe, drums below the dome, and finials atop 13 tiers symbolizing the path to enlightenment. Over time, chaityas grew more elaborate with the addition of niches containing figures of the four Buddhas and ornamentation. Licchavi period votive chaityas from the 5th-8th century AD typically had a monolithic stone design with three sections: a dome, drum, and finial.

2. CHAITYA AND VIHARA
INTRODUCTION
 CHAITYA IS SANSKRIT WORD THAT REFERS TO A SHRINE, TEMPLE, SANCTUARY, OR
PRAYER HALL. THE WORD CHAITYA COMES FROM THE SANSKRIT WORD CHITA,
WHICH MEANS A PYRE OR PILE OF ASHES.
 VIHARA IS A BUDDHIST MONASTERY,POPULARLY KNOWN AS BAHA OR BAHAL,
WHERE DIFFERENT TYPES OF RITES AND RITUALS ARE PERFORMED.

3. ACCORDING TO BUDDHIST PHILISOPHY, CHAITYA
REPRESENT THE UNIVERSE, AND EACH SPIRE THAT
CIRCLES THE CHAITYA SYMBOLISES HEAVEN. THE
INTRICATE CARVING DEPICTS DIFFERENT FORM OF THE
MEDITATING BUDDHA.
THE EARLIEST CHAITYAS ARE FROM THE 3RD CENTURY
BCE. THE OLDEST CHAITYAS IN THE KATHMANDU VALLEY
WAS BUILT DURING THE LICCHAVI PERIOD, WHICH
LASTED FROM THE 5TH TO 8TH CENTURY AD DURING THE
LICCHAVI DYNASTRY. ( SLIDESHOWS)
“THE CONCEPT OF CHAITYA HAS EVOLVED WITH
BUDDHISM. AT FIRST IT WAS JUST MADE WITH EARTH,
WITHOUT THE PANCHA BUDDHAS OR THE GAJUR
(PINNACLE).
HISTORY AND BACKGROUND

4.  CHAITYAS EXISTED EVEN BEFORE BUDDHA’S TIME AND THE TERM INITIALLY
WAS REFERRED TO AS A PLACE OF RESTING OR MEDITATION, LATER IT WAS
REFERRED TO THE IDEA OF USING, ‘CHITI’ (ASH) OF THE DECEASED TO MAKE
A STUPA IN THEIR MEMORY,”. s://saara
ACCORDING TO THE DIFFERENT SUTRAS IN BUDDHIST CANONICAL TEXTS SUCH
AS SUCH AS MAHAPARINIRVANA SUTRA OF DIGHA NIKAYA( THE COLLECTION
OF LONG DISCOURCES), THE BUDDHA TOLD HIM TO MAKE CHAITYA THAT
CONTAINS THE RELICS OF SAMYAKSAMBUDDHA, PRATYEK BUDDHA, ARAHAT
TATHAGATH AND GREAT EMPEROR.
ACCORDING TO SWAYAMBHU PURAN THAT DURING THE PRE- HISTORIC AGE
KIRATI RULER KING SHREE STUNGKO, THE SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA CAME TO THE
NEPAL MANDALA TOGETHER WITH 500 BHIKKHU TO ENLIGHTENMENT,
BUDDHAHOOD, AND LIBERATION. CHAIITYA REPRESENTS THE VAJRAYANA
BUDDHISM, AS IT IS THE SYMBOL OF BUDDHA’S TEACHING FROM BIRTH TO
DEATH FUNCTION.

5. CHAITYA IS NAMED AFTER
ASHOKA, THERE IS NO EVIDENCE
THAT PROVES ITS RELATION WITH
EMPEROR ASHOKA. PEOPLE ALSO
SAY THAT THE ASHOK CHAITYA IS
MORE THAN 2000 YEARS OLD
DURING THE GOLDEN PERIOD FOR
BUDDHISM IN KATHMANDU
VALLEY. THE ORIGIN OF THE
CHAITYA IS UNCLEAR AND THE
SOURCE IS HEARSAY. ( SHRESTHA,
SAARANG)

6. CHRONOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT
FIRST TYPE OF LICHCHHAVI CHAITYA:
 THE EARLIEST VOTIVE STONE CAITYAS ARE BULGY
DOME ATTACHED TO A DRUM.
 MONOLITHIC DOME, DRUM, UPPER AND LOWER
STOREYS OF A CAITYA.
 THE UPPER AND LOWER STOREYS ARE ROUNDED
AND OCTAGNOL SHAPES.
 THE TOPMOST PART OF CROWN OR THIRTEEN
BHUVANS SEEMS TO ATTACH THE LATER PERIOD.
 THE EARLIEST VOTIVE CAITYAS ARE PLAIN AND
WITHOUT ANY NICHES.

7.  ROUND NICHES OCCUR ON THE
CIRCULAR STOREYS OF THE
CAITYAS.
 THESE ARE THE EMPTY NICHES
AND STONE POLISHED. THERE
ARE NO TOPMOST PART. IN SUCH
CASES, A FINIAL CROWNS EVERY
CAITYA SEEMS TO ADD LATER.
SECOND TYPE OF LICHCHHAVI CHAITYA :
 MOST OF THE EARLIER ABOUT 200
LICHCHHAVI CAITYAS CONTAIN AT LEAST
FOUR NICHES. NICHES ARE PLACED OUT OF
THE DRUM OR VEDIKAS (PLINTHS).
 IN THE CASE OF MULTI-STOREYED
STRUCTURES HAVE EIGHT OR EVEN
SIXTEEN NICHES, WHICH ARE A FIRST AND
SECOND LEVELS OR PLINTHS.

8. THIRD TYPE OF LICHCHHAVI CAITYA:
 THE EMPTY NICHES CAITYAS ARE FULLY
DECORATED, WHICH ARE CARVED MOTIFS
ON TOP AND A LEAFED FRIEZE BELOW.
 IN SUCH CASES THE NICHE CROWN
CONSISTS IN THE FORM OF A KIRTIMUKHA
FACE OR A LOTUS BLOSSOM.
 THE UPPER NICHES ARE GENERALLY SLIGHT
NARROWER THAN THE LOWER NICHES.
 ALL THE CROWN OF THE FRAME, THE
UPPER OF THE LINTEL ARCH. THESE
CAITYAS ARE CHANGED 7-8TH CENTURY
A.D

9. FOURTH TYPE OF LICHCHHAVI CAITYA:
 THE NICHES ARE FILLED WITH SMALL
FIGURES OF THE FOUR BUDDHAS:
AKSHOBHYA IS IN THE EAST.
 HIS RIGHT HAND SHOWS EARTH
TOUCHING, RATNASAMBHAVA IS IN THE
SOUTH, HIS RIGHT HAND DISPLAYS
BOON-GIVING GESTURE, AMITABH IS IN
THE WEST, HIS BOTH HANDS ARE
MEDITATION GESTURE AND
AMOGHSIDDHI IS IN THE NORTH, HIS
RIGHT HAND EXHIBITS FEARLESSNESS
GESTURE.

10. FIVE TYPE OF CAITYATHE
CATURVYUHA:
 CAITYA CONSISTS THE
COMPLETE PRIMARY TRIO OF
FINIAL, DOME, AND
MOULDED DRUM RESTS AT
THE TOP OF THE SHAFT.
 THE FOUR BUDDHAS ARE
PLACED THE FOUR
DIRECTIONS. THE FOUR
BUDDHAS HEADS ARE
SURROUNDED FROM A HALO.

11. ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES:
CHAITYA IS DIVIDED INTO THREE LAYERS:
• THE DOME AT THE BASE REPRESENTS THE
ENTIRE WORLD.
• THE AWAKENED EYES REPRESENT WISDOM
AND COMPASSION AND AWARE ON THE
BOND OF WORLD AND REACH TO THE STATE
OF ENLIGHTENMENT.
• ON THE TOP LAYERS, THERE ARE 13
PINNACLES THAT REPRESENTS THE SENTIENT
BEINGS HAVE TO GO THE THIRTEEN STAGES
OF SPIRITUAL REALIZATIONS TO REACH THE
BUDDHAHOOD.

12. VOTIVE CHAITYAS OF LICCHAVI ORIGIN
ARE STILL FOUND AND RANGE FROM
2-4 FT. HIGH. THESE ARE OF
MONOLITHIC STONE AND COMPOSED
OF 3 PRINCIPAL SECTIONS:
• THE DRUM,
• DOME,
• FINIAL.
1.FINIAL
• THE FINIALS ARE MADE OF STONE AND ARE MONOLITHIC. ,THERE ARE THIRTEEN
TIERS OR RAISED ABOVE THE 'BHAGI, WHICH ARE DIMINISHING BOTTOM TO TOP
SMALL SIZE.
• THE PINNACLE IS ABOVE THE THIRTEEN TIERS. AN UMBRELLA IS COVERED ON THE
PINNACLE.
• THE MOST TYPICAL FEATURES OF THESE FINIALS ARE THE LARGE UMBRELLAS AND
FRAGMENTS OF HIGHER SPIRES THE UMBRELLAS ARE OF DIFFERENT DESIGN.

13. DOME-
• THE DOMES ARE SOLID AND MONOLITHIC WITH
DRUMS, AND SOMETIMES ALSO WITH PLINTHS OR
THE UPPER LEVELS OF SUB- STRUCTURES.
• THE DOME IS RAISED ABOVE THE VEDĪKĀ, WHICH
IS SEMICIRCULAR. IT IS KNOWN AS 'ANDA' OR
'GARBHA-GRIHA' IN SANSKRIT WORD. THE RELICS
OR HOLY TEXTS ARE COVERED FROM HEMISPHERIC
DOME
DRUM-
• IT IS FOUND BELOW THE DOME AND
SERVES AS A PLINTH OF ANCIENT STUPAS
AND CHAITYAS
• DIAMETER IS GENERALLY LARGER THAN THE
ONE OF THE DOMES, THUS PROVIDING AT
LARGE STUPAS A WALKWAY AROUND THE
DOME (CIRCUMAMBULATORY) OR IN
SANSKRIT: PRADAKSINAPATHA

14. SUBSTRUCTURE-
• THE GROUND PLAN CAN BE ROUND,
SQUARE, OCTAGONAL OR FEATURE 12 OR
20 CORNERS
• HORIZONTAL CORNICES, ROOF-LIKE
MOULDINGS, NICHES, PILASTERS AND
OTHER ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS
• STACKING OF SEVERAL STOREYS WITH
DIFFERENT GROUND PLANS SUCH AS THE
VIMŚATIKONA WITH FOUR OR 12 NICHES,
THE OCTAGON WITH EIGHT AND THE
CIRCLE WITH EIGHT OR 16 NICHES CAN BE
FOUND.
PLINTH-
• LOWEST ELEMENT OF A CHAITYA AND IS KNOWN AS 'VEDĪKĀ IN SANSKRIT
WORD AND 'PHAH' IN NEWARI WORD

15. • SHAPED IN A ROUND, SQUARE, OCTAGON AND TWENTIETH ANGLED, WHICH
FUNCTIONS FIRSTLY IS TO MEDIATE BETWEEN THE SUB-STRUCTURE AND THE
(INVISIBLE) FOUNDATION, AND SECONDLY TO SEPARATE THE DIVINE CHAITYA
AWAY FROM THE UNCLEAN GROUND
• MOST OF THE CHAITYAS FOUND NOWADAYS HAVE BEEN RELOCATED IN THE
COURSE OF TIME AND DO NOT REST ANYMORE ON THEIR ORIGINAL PLINTH