Buddhist Stupa

Translations of Stupa
Pali	thūpa, cetiya
Sanskrit	स्तूप
Chinese	窣堵坡 (Pinyin: Sūdǔpō)
Japanese	舎利塔 (rōmaji: Sharitō)
Khmer	ចេតិយ
Korean	솔도파 (RR: Soldopha)
Mongolian	Суварга
Sinhala	දාගැබ් (dagoba)
Tibetan	མཆོད་རྟེན་ (chöten)
Thai	สถูป , เจดีย์ (ISO 11940: s̄t̄hūp, cedīy̒)
Vietnamese	Phù đồ
Glossary of Buddhism

A stupa (Sanskrit: m.,स्तूप "heap") is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (śarīra - typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation.

Stupas originated as pre-Buddhist tumuli in which śramaṇas were buried in a seated position called chaitya. After the parinirvana of the Buddha, his remains were cremated and the ashes divided and buried under eight mounds with two further mounds encasing the urn and the embers. The earliest archaeological evidence for the presence of Buddhist stupas dates to the late 4th century BCE in India. Buddhist scriptures claim that stupas were built at least a century earlier. Since it is likely that before this time stupas were built with non-durable materials such as wood, or that they were merely burial mounds, little is known about them, particularly since it has not been possible to identify the original ten monuments. However, some later stupas, such as at Sarnath and Sanchi, seem to be embellishments of earlier mounds. The earliest evidence of monastic stupas dates back to the 2nd century BCE. These are stupas that were built within Buddhist monastic complexes and they replicate in stone older stupas made of baked bricks and timber. Sanchi, Sarnath, Amaravati and Bharhut are examples of stupas that were shaped in stone imitating previously existing wooden parts.

The stupa was elaborated as Buddhism spread to other Asian countries, becoming, for example, the chörten of Tibet and the pagoda in East Asia. The pagoda has varied forms that also include bell-shaped and pyramidal styles. In the Western context, there is no clear distinction between a stupa and a pagoda. In general, however, "stupa" is the term used for a Buddhist structure in India or Southeast Asia while "pagoda" refers to a building in East Asia which can be entered and which may be secular in purpose.

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Wikipedia