(Video) Indian Art & Culture in English : Buddhist Art and Architecture : Stupas
Buddhism, a religion that was founded by Siddhartha Gautama in the late 6Th Century B.C.E. It is one of the important religion followed in the Asian countries. Siddhartha Gautama was born as the heir to the royal Shakya clan ruling over a small kingdom in Lumbini in the Himalayan foothills. Gautama Buddha, at the age of 29 gave up all the worldly pleasures and went away from his palace to seek the true meaning of life. He attained enlightenment under a Bodhi tree after which he was known as Buddha or the Enlightened One. Buddhism proposes a life of good thoughts, good intentions, and straight living, with the ultimate aim of achieving nirvana, release from earthly existence and pleasures. . The Buddha spent the remaining life preaching his faith. After his death, Buddhism spread to different parts of the world.
The Buddhist architecture is dedicated to different aspects of Buddha’s life. During the reign of Ashoka, Buddhism was widely preached and was spread to a larger part of India extending it to Sri Lanka. Ashoka was a great patron of Buddhist architecture. During his reign many stupas, and pillars were built commemorating Buddha. Buddhist art and architecture made a substantial contribution to the Indian culture. These arts and architecture are present in the form of Stupas, Viharas, Chaityas, Paintings and Pillars.
When Buddha died, his body was cremated. The cremated relics of the Buddha were divided into several portions and placed in relic caskets that were interred within large hemispherical mounds known as stupas. The relics (part of the body of a saint or an ancient religious object) were the first examples of Buddhist art.
The relics were kept in stupas, which were made of stones and bricks. Each hemispheric stupa had, at its core, a relic. Stupas hold an important place in Buddhist Architecture.
A stupa also conventionally had above it an umbrella, the symbol of royalty that signified the Buddha’s sovereignty. Pilgrims came from long distances to circumambulate in the auspicious clockwise direction of the stupas, worshipping the Buddha. The best examples of stupas are those constructed at Amravati, Sanchi, Barhut and Gaya. "One of the most striking architectural remains of ancient India" and the earliest and largest of the three stupas was found in Sanchi that was built by Ashoka (273-236 B.C.).
The stupa at Sanchi was made of bricks. The Great stupa has a large hemispherical dome which is flat at the top, and crowned by a triple umbrella or Chattra on a pedestal surrounded by a square railing or Karmika.
Buddha's relics were placed in a casket chamber in the centre of the Dome. At the base of the dome is a high circular terrace which is meant for parikrama or circumambulation. At the ground level is a stone-paved procession path and another stone Balustrade and two flights of steps leading to the circular terrace. Access to it is through four exquisitely carved gateways or Toranas in the North, South, East and West. The diameter of the stupa is 36.60 metres and its height is 16.46 metres. It is built of large burnt bricks and mud mortar. The last addition to the stupa was made during the early 4th Century AD in the Gupta period when four images of Buddha sitting in the dhyana mudra or meditation were installed at the four entrances.
The big Stupa at Barhut in Madhya Pradesh was constructed in the 2nd century BC in the Sunga Period. It is a hemispherical dome built of brick and is topped by a shaft and an umbrella to represent the spiritual sovereignty of Buddhism. The railing is made of red sandstone. Scenes from the life of Buddha and the Jataka Tales are sculptured on the gateways, pillars, uprights and cross-bars of the railings.
The Stupas of Nagarjunakonda and Amravati, both in the Guntur District of Andhra Pradesh depicted that Stupas of the Southern region differ in structure from those of the North. Different trends and styles were incorporated here giving rise to new architectural forms, i.e. a quadrangular monastery, square and rectangular image shrine, pillared hall and a small stupa on a square platform.
The stupas of Nagarjunakonda are in the form of a hemispherical dome resting on a low drum encased in panels sculptured with scenes of events depicting the life of Buddha. A remarkable feature of the stupas here is ayaka platforms in the four directions with five inscribed pillars on each of them. The five pillars symbolise the five important events in the life of Buddha - his Birth, Renunciation, Enlightenment, First Sermon and Par nirvana.
The earliest of the Nagarjunakonda stupas is the Maha Chaitya that contains the tooth relic of Buddha. The stupa is wheel-shaped with ayaka platforms surmounted by pillars.
Ruins of the main stupa in Kushinagar in U.P. where Buddha passed away and was cremated, is believed to contain the bodily remains of Buddha.
The Dhamekh Stupa and the Dharmarajika stupa at Sarnath are believed to have been built by Ashoka and later rebuilt in the Gupta period. These stupas contain the relics of Buddha and are therefore important places of Buddhist pilgrimage. Buddha gave his First Sermon in Sarnath and also founded the Sangha or Order of Monks here. The original Dhamekh Stupa built with mud or brick is a cylindrical structure 43.5 m. high. The stone basement has eight projecting faces. Delicately carved with beautiful floral and geometrical patterns, it is believed to have been put up during the Gupta period.
Ruins of stupas have been found in Rajgir (Bihar) where the First Buddhist Council was held; at Vaishali (Bihar) where the Second Buddhist Council was held.
As Buddhism was introduced in different areas and regions, the architectural design and features of the stupas were transformed into various shapes that depicted the influence of different cultures.
