Stupa

A Buddhist monument that enshrines relics or marks sacred presence. Its hemispherical mound and ritual design make it a focus of circumambulation and devotion.

Anda: The hemispherical mound forming the central mass of many stupas. This mound is the stupa’s defining architectural body.
Buddhist relics: Physical remains or objects associated with the Buddha and other revered Buddhist figures. Relics give many stupas their role as reliquaries and pilgrimage destinations.
Parinirvana: The final passing of a Buddha beyond the cycle of rebirth and suffering. Early stupas became associated with the Buddha’s passing and the distribution of his remains.
Pagoda: A multistory tower common in East Asian Buddhist architecture, developed in part from the Indian stupa. Pagodas are a prominent regional transformation of the stupa tradition.
Chaitya: A Buddhist prayer hall or shrine, often designed to contain a stupa at its far end. Unlike a freestanding stupa, a chaitya is primarily an enclosed worship space.
Harmika: A small square railing placed above a stupa’s dome, often surrounding its central mast. It marks the sacred summit above the dome.
Circumambulation: Ritual movement around a sacred person, object, or place. Walking clockwise around a stupa is a widespread form of Buddhist devotion.
Ashoka: Mauryan emperor of the third century BCE who supported Buddhism and sponsored religious monuments. Tradition associates Ashoka with spreading relics and building stupas across his empire.
Chorten: A Tibetan Buddhist reliquary monument derived from the Indian stupa. Its forms adapt the stupa to Tibetan ritual and cosmological traditions.
Vihara: A Buddhist monastery or monastic residence, often organized around a courtyard. A vihara houses monastic life, whereas a stupa centers relic devotion and circumambulation.

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