Stupa

The great stupa at Sanchi.

Stupa (Skt. stūpa; P. thūpa; T. mchod rten མཆོད་རྟེན་; C. ta 塔) is a structure that contains the relics (śarīra) or possessions of the Buddha or other realized being. The original stupas were built in India to enshrine the relics of the Buddha. As stupas spread throughout the Buddhist world, significant variations in architectural form developed.

Ken Holmes states:

Be they squat domes of earth or gilded pagoda towers, stupas are one of the most striking features of Buddhist lands. Originally funeral mounds housing relics of the Buddha and his disciples, they have evolved into an elaborate architectural expression of the mandala. Unlike churches, mosques and temples, their prime function is not to house the disciple within a sacred space but to place a model of sacred order within the chaos of the worldly landscape.

Stupas are axes of power. Whatever their form, they are always symmetrical, aligned with points of the compass and radiating their geometric shapes around an all-important central axis, known as the 'life tree'. Although each shape and part of the stupa is charged with intentional significance - and can further lend itself to all sorts of symbolic interpretation - its prime importance for Buddhists lies in the relics it houses. Just before his passing, the Buddha gave instructions on the making of stupas and indicated that their construction and veneration would be mainly the task of the lay community. Monks, by contrast, should concentrate on their meditation and study but could, as time went by, keep the remains of their most saintly leaders enshrined in stupas in the monasteries, as a source of inspiration.

Following the funeral rites held for the Buddha and the pleas from each neighbouring kingdom to have some relics to enshrine, his remains were divided and preserved in eight stupas: at Rajgir, Vaisali, Kapilavastu, Allakappa, Ramagrama, Vethadipa, Pava and Kusinagara. Other non-corporeal relics from the Buddha's life, such as his hair, alms bowl, walking-staff, bathing-robe and so forth, also became objects of veneration.

Stupas in the Himalayan/Tibetan tradition

Boudhanath Stupa, Nepal

Tsultrim Allione describes the architecture of a typical stupa from the Himalayan/Tibetan Buddhist tradition:

A stupa is a three-dimensional mandala representing enlightenment. It has a square or cube base representing the element earth, and the various levels represent the elements and the process of illumination. The spire at the top represents the ten stages of the Bodhisattva path (sometimes there are thirteen). The stupa is related to as a body of enlightenment which emanates great blessings. By circumambulating or practicing near a great stupa, one's mind is tremendously benefited and the merit of the practice is multiplied a thousandfold. The most important thing about a stupa is the strength of the blessings of the relics and mantras that it contains. Some stupas have such powers that they produce relics themselves.