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Buddhist Architecture - A General Outline
Buddhist Architecture - A General Outline
Chapter 4
BUDDHIST ARCHITECTURE -
A GENERAL OUTLINE
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Chapter 4
the site of the funeral pyre or the chitT Hence, it is known as a chaitya.
Generally stupas were raised, where the mortal remains of a great being were
either cremated or buried. A wooden post was generally associated with the
of Taihagata that the stupa architecture was introduced, enlarged and decorated
at a later time. It is possible that the stupa architecture had its evolution out of
the samadhi referred to in the Vedic literature (Pant, Sushila, 2004: p.114).
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The Satapada Brahmana suggests that square smasanas were meant
for Gods and circular ones for Asuras. There was a tradition that at the four
comers of the smasana certain pegs were fixed according to the Aranyaparva
of the Mahabharata. These pegs in course of time have taken the form of
wooden post indicating the place of the burial of a Mahapurusha (Pant, Sushila,
1976: p. 17). In other sectarian classes, the wooden post was intended for
tying the sacrificial animal. We also come across the ancestor worship in the
the manifest Cosmos and the unmanifest Divine (Mukharjee, Radha Kamal,
1964: p. 47).
yupas. It is known from the folklore that the standing wooden or stone pillars
associated with events like victory, sacrifice, donation, charity etc. Indian art
stambha etc., were planted close to religious structures. The instance of the
It is also held that a yupa represents a link between the Earth and the
Alice Boner (1986) considers a yupa as a solar symbol that stands for
the yupa symbolizes the creative and protective aspects of human nature. The
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Initially mounds of Earth are taken to form the core of the stupa. In
due course of time, the earthen mound is encased in bricks. The brick encasing
stupa with dressed stones is known as Sila-achhadana. The stone cover thus
bricks and these bricks were plastered. Similar is the case with the Dharmarajika
and other stupas of Saranath. The stupa at Sanchi was encased in dressed
covered by carved limestone slabs. The railing and the gateways were built
around the principal structure in due course of time as in the case of Sanchi
and Amaravatf Among these stupas, there is a gradual evolution from the
In the ground plan spoked stupas, stupas with two concentric circles
of walls separated by brick built spokes have comeup. Usually, the empty
spaces were filled with earth. However, there are solid stupas built totally of
bricks as in the case of Bhattiprolu. In the history of Indian art great significance
is attached to the stupa both in the religious and the architectural aspects.
The monumental stupa has its origin in the religious spirit of the
Buddhists primarily. Many epigraphs are known, which speak of the erection
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It appears that the great being, Buddha himself has given consent to
“O! Ananda, you need not engage yourself in worshipping the body of the
Tathagata. But you dedicate yourself to the right meaning expounded by the
But Ananda seems to have been not satisfied with the answer and
again put the same question. Then Buddha was much pleased and replied.
Thus the stupa has come to become the commemorative symbol for
The stupa adopted in the Buddhist monuments must have had a much
earlier origin in the megalithic burials of Iron Age in India. It is not surprising
that at places like AmaravatTbelow the earliest phase of the Mahastupa. Iron
Age levels were encounted during the excavations (Sarkar, H and Nainar, S.
R, 1992: p. 26).
Further, a full grown tree also looks like a stupa (Vriksha-chaifya). It is justified
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that Buddha, the enlightened one was worshipped in the form or symbol of a
stupa. It is said that the sacred ashes of the Buddha were divided into eight
parts and a stupa was erected on each part in the fond memory and respect to
of Buddha, attended to the last rites. The relics of the Body were taken to
Kusfnagara by the Mallas for enshrining them in stupas. There was however,
a dispute for the share of the relics. Ajatasatru of Rajagriha, the Lichchavis of
Ramagrama, the Mallas of Pava, and a Brahmin presented their claim for the
relics, from the Mallas of Kusfnagara. With a view to avoiding the dispute,
Drona, a brahmana appealed to them for peace and divided the relics into
eight shares. On these portions of the eight shares stupas were erected in due
course of time. Emperor Asoka opened all the stupas excepting the one at
Ramagrama and further divided the relics and caused the construction of a
indicated to Ananda the names of four places, which are closely associated
with reverence. The four places included Lumbini in the Nepali tarai, where
Buddha was born; Bodhgaya near Gaya in south Bihar where Buddha
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obtained his Enlightenment; Saranath near Varanasi, where the Buddha turned
the wheel of Dharma and finally Kusihagara, in Utter Pradesh where Buddha
the Buddhist tradition identified four more places which are closely associated
included Sravastf, where the Buddha performed the great miracle, Rajagriha,
Buddha and Sankasya, where the Buddha descended from Heaven. SravastT
dedicated Jetavana which was purchased with a layer of Gold pieces. Also
Karerakutf associated with the stay of Buddha at that place. Prasenajit was
derivative of citi and in the Buddhist context it refers to a man made form of
a stupa. It is also the resting place or the abode of divinity. A chaitya can also
shape of the stupa recalls the pile of the altar which evokes that of the World
symbol, while for the common people it is the visible symbol of great being.
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The spherical or cylindrical drum crowned by Harmika is considered to be the
The Buddhists have selected the wheel and the stupa as the symbols
for the great being as well as for the Cosmos. The wheel becomes the symbol
of Dharma, which in turn is the foundation and the support for the Cosmos.
While erecting the stupas the Buddhists placed emphasis an round or globular
shape. While choosing the round shape the Buddhists were perhaps actuated
by a desire to symbolize the Sun, the radiating sources of all energy. A great
Being like the Budha, radiates like the Sun, the same Cosmic energy.
It is further stated that the stupas with the four entrances are oriented
are based on the elements derived from the Solar symbolism that set the circle
of railing in motion as the course of the Sun or the infinite Cosmos’ (Volwashen,
A.,1969).
it has been noted that the present orientation of the eastern gate and the
western gate is deliberately done to align towards the moon rise and the
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4.3. General Characteristics of a Stupa
The earlier stupas had a diameter than those of the later period. The Drum of
the earlier stupas is described as the bell shape or Ghantakara. In later years,
the drum of the stupa became more elongated and elevated. Almost it took
surrounded by a railing. At the centre of the harmika, a post was fixed and
the vedika consisted of upright pillars with three transverse bars known as the
within the railing. About the middle of the dome another Pradakshinapatha is
The ground railings at Barhut and Sanchi are decorated with sculptured
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In the vicinity of the Mahachaityas, votive stupas are also erected which
Buddhists, the votive stupas are carved out of the living rock as at Sankaram.
Infront of the gateways of the Mahastupa usually long columns of stone are
Sanchi and Saranath, the crowning members are carved as the lion capitals.
The word chaitya and its significance has already been discussed in
the preceding pages. In any place of worship of the Buddhist creed the presence
chapels or temples that housed the stupes have come to become the Chaitya-
grihas and Chaitya-halls. Normally, Chaitya-grihas do not contain cells for the
At Nagarjunakonda, the monastic units at site no. 2-N, XII site no.
23- N, XI, site no. 38-N, III, we find structural stupes associated with the vihara
complexes (Soundara Rajan, K.V., 2006: MASI no-75, Vol.II, p.161 fig-38,
The earliest form of such a chaitya contains an oblong room. Its length
is almost double the width. The chaitya is entered from one end and at the
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other end a small stupa is situated. The stupa is generally surmounted by a
harmika and chhatra. These early chaityas are apsidal in plan. The exemption
to this is cave no.9 at Ajanta, which is square ended (Nagaraju, S., 1981: fig-
and more devotees, there arose a need for admitting sufficient light for the
interior of the cave. Thus a chaitya window pierced in the facade has come
into existence. In due course of time the chaitya window has become an
only the ground plans are available and the superstructures are lost. Therefore,
flat or domical.
Viharas are constructed for the residence of the monks. In the early
examples they contained only one or more cells with a varandah in the front.
The cells so constructed were also small. In the later examples some of the
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cells contained stone benches or beds for the monks. In the brick built examples
monastery.
All the viharas in the Rock-cut examples had provision for water in
the form of cisterns cut into rock. In the case of structural examples however,
In the early viharas, as they were small in their size there were no
pillars, but in the later examples pillars are introduced to support the roof as
the size of the vihara became large. These pillars separate the central square
area from the side aisles. One such arrangement can be seen in cave no. 11 at
K.V., 2006: MASI no-75, p.168 fig-43). Cave no.6 of Ajanta is a monastery
with two-storeys. Similar examples can also be seen at Ellora (Brown, Percy,
1956: p. 59). To what extent the vihara complexes of structural nature contained
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