Buildings and gates

Stupa

The stupa, the domed Buddhist monument that holds relics: what its shape means, how it grew from Indian burial mounds into pagodas and chortens, and how pilgrims honour it today.

Also called Chorten · Chedi · Dagoba · Pagoda

In brief

I.A stupa is a dome-shaped monument built over relics of the Buddha or of revered teachers.
II.It stands for the Buddha’s awakened mind and, in later thought, for the whole universe.
III.Pilgrims walk around it clockwise, keeping it on their right.
IV.Its form changed as it travelled: the chorten of Tibet, the chedi of Thailand and the pagoda of East Asia all grew from it.

Chapter I

What it means

A stupa is a monument rather than a building one enters. Its solid dome holds relics and stands for the presence of the Buddha after his death. To honour a stupa is to honour the Buddha and his awakening.

Later Buddhist thought read every part of it. In Tibetan teaching the square base, round dome, spire of rings and crowning moon and sun stand for the elements earth, water, fire, air and space, and for the stages of the path to awakening.

Chapter II

Where it comes from

Ancient Indian rulers were buried under earth mounds, and Buddhist texts say the Buddha’s ashes were divided and placed in eight such mounds. Ashoka, in the 3rd century BCE, is said to have redistributed them into thousands of stupas. The Great Stupa at Sanchi, begun in his time, is among the oldest surviving.

As Buddhism spread, the shape changed. Sri Lanka built huge white dagobas, Tibet the chorten, Myanmar and Thailand golden bell-shaped chedis, and China, Korea and Japan the tall wooden or brick pagoda.

Chapter III

Where you see it today

Great stupas such as Boudhanath in Kathmandu, Shwedagon in Yangon and Borobudur in Java draw pilgrims and visitors from around the world. Small stupas stand in temple grounds, on mountain passes and on household shrines.

Questions people ask

What is inside a stupa?

Usually a relic chamber, sealed and not opened: bones or ashes believed to be of the Buddha or a saint, texts, images or precious objects. Many smaller stupas contain only scriptures or offerings.

Why walk around it clockwise?

Walking with one’s right side towards a holy object is an old Indian sign of respect. The circling, called pradakshina, is a form of meditation and of honouring the Buddha.

Sources and further reading

Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Stupa”
Peter Harvey, An Introduction to Buddhism (Cambridge University Press, 2nd ed. 2013)
Robert Beer, The Handbook of Tibetan Buddhist Symbols (Serindia, 2003)
Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Religious symbolism and iconography”

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