Stupas are monuments that were originally built to contain cremated remains of Buddha Shakyamuni, his disciples, important monks, and other materials and symbolic relics associated with the Buddha’s body, teachings, and enlightened mind.

A traveling exhibition for colleges, universities, and art museums that introduces the main forms, concepts, meanings, and living traditions of Himalayan art.

The stupa (Tibetan: chorten) is the most ancient form of Buddhist art, symbolizing the monumental funerary mounds of ancient India that were appropriated into Buddhism as depositories for Buddha relics.

Feb 17, 2025 · Stupa art, which surrounds and decorates these sacred spaces, uses visual imagery to reflect the teachings and ideals of Buddhism. In early Buddhist art, particularly in stupa decoration, the absence of the direct depiction of the Buddha’s image is notable.

In Buddhism, a stupa (Sanskrit: स्तूप, lit. 'heap', IAST: stūpa) is a mound -like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as śarīra – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation. [1]

Arising historically from the chaitya (funerary mounds) of early Buddhism and symbolically from the tope (ushnisha), bundle of hair, on the crown of the Buddha's head, the stupa is viewed as a physical representation of the unseen enlightened mind of a Buddha.

Arising historically from the caitya (funerary mounds) of early Buddhism and symbolically from the tope (ushnisha), bundle of hair, on the crown of the Buddha's head, the Stupa is viewed as a physical representation of the unseen enlightened mind of a Buddha - incorporating both the blueprint for the path to enlightenment and enlightenment itself.

Arising historically from the chaitya (funerary mounds) of early Buddhism and symbolically from the tope (ushnisha), bundle of hair, on the crown of the Buddha's head, the stupa is viewed as a physical representation of the unseen enlightened mind of a Buddha - incorporating both the blueprint for the path to enlightenment and enlightenment itself.

Apr 5, 2025 · Stupa, Buddhist commemorative monument usually housing sacred relics associated with the Buddha or other saintly persons. The hemispherical form of the stupa appears to have derived from pre-Buddhist burial mounds in India.

The stupa is a symbol found across all Buddhist traditions. It originated in India as a mound made to hold sacred remains, like those of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni. This is not limited to the mortal remains of a holy person but may also include objects associated with that person, such as clothes, as well as sacred texts, articles of ...