The stupa[1] (Sanskrit: m. स्तूप, stūpa) is a Buddhist pilgrimage funerary monument, containing relics enclosed in its solid interior. It probably derives from ancient burial mounds.
Within the framework of Tibetan Buddhism they are known as: མཆོད་རྟེན་, chöten, and in the Pali language: थुप, thupa. It is a type of construction that is widespread throughout all Buddhist countries in Asia, including Southeast Asia. In some of them they are known as chedi. In Sri Lanka it is called dagoba, where the word pagoda, more widespread in northern Asia, probably comes from.[2][3].
Origin
The precursor of the stupa is the tumulus: a pile of rocks that, since the Neolithic, was erected over the tomb of an important member of the community. As time went by, different cultures became more sophisticated in their design, and in Vedic India 2,600 years ago they received the Sanskrit name stūpa (“cluster”).
The stupas marked the burial place of a king or a Hindu saint, so that the faithful could worship them. The Buddha (Buddha), who had been raised in that tradition, soon integrated them into his spiritual repertoire, but rejected the animal sacrifices that until then had accompanied the construction process.[4].
The stupa is a pilgrimage funerary monument. It is the most important monument in the history of India, because it is the oldest, in Buddhist tradition it is said that it was built to contain the ashes of Buddha according to his own instructions.
The first Buddhist stupa
Buddha himself indicated the basic elements that should configure his stupas. It occurred after the death of Shariputra, one of his main disciples, whose remains had been cremated and which a devotee had kept in his house to worship them.
However, that man locked his home every time he left it, preventing access to the rest of the faithful. These, displeased, went to the Buddha to complain.
The solution he proposed to them was to build an outdoor, public reliquary for Shariputra's relics. The structure had to consist, from bottom to top, of:.
Stūpa architecture
Introduction
The stupa[1] (Sanskrit: m. स्तूप, stūpa) is a Buddhist pilgrimage funerary monument, containing relics enclosed in its solid interior. It probably derives from ancient burial mounds.
Within the framework of Tibetan Buddhism they are known as: མཆོད་རྟེན་, chöten, and in the Pali language: थुप, thupa. It is a type of construction that is widespread throughout all Buddhist countries in Asia, including Southeast Asia. In some of them they are known as chedi. In Sri Lanka it is called dagoba, where the word pagoda, more widespread in northern Asia, probably comes from.[2][3].
Origin
The precursor of the stupa is the tumulus: a pile of rocks that, since the Neolithic, was erected over the tomb of an important member of the community. As time went by, different cultures became more sophisticated in their design, and in Vedic India 2,600 years ago they received the Sanskrit name stūpa (“cluster”).
The stupas marked the burial place of a king or a Hindu saint, so that the faithful could worship them. The Buddha (Buddha), who had been raised in that tradition, soon integrated them into his spiritual repertoire, but rejected the animal sacrifices that until then had accompanied the construction process.[4].
The stupa is a pilgrimage funerary monument. It is the most important monument in the history of India, because it is the oldest, in Buddhist tradition it is said that it was built to contain the ashes of Buddha according to his own instructions.
The first Buddhist stupa
Buddha himself indicated the basic elements that should configure his stupas. It occurred after the death of Shariputra, one of his main disciples, whose remains had been cremated and which a devotee had kept in his house to worship them.
With these instructions, the Buddha established the architectural foundations of Buddhist stupas, including his own.[4][5].
In Sanchi there are three stupas, divided into the Great Stupa (number 1) and stupas number 2 and 3, because Buddha's ashes were divided between eight different congregations of monks in different places, and in this place the three oldest stupas are found. There are several interpretations in the different Buddhist schools about the symbology of a stupa. For example, it represents the "awakened mind" and the path necessary to reach this spiritual state, or that it represents the body of Buddha, his speech and his mind, which teach the path of awakening.
On a large platform (medhi), like a sacrificial altar, which represents the earth, rises the solid, hemispherical central body, which represents the celestial vault (anda, 'egg'). Above, there is a quadrangular palisade (harmika) that refers to and symbolizes the residence of the divinity, protecting the upper part of the axis of the universe (iashti), which hypothetically crosses the vault.
Several decreasing discs (chatravali) are placed on the axis, which form the shape of a sacred umbrella, emphasizing the dignity that the relic in question represents (the more chatravali there are, the more sacred it is considered). The pilgrim had to approach it from the east, and surround it from left to right, so that the monument always had to be on the right side. Thus imitating the sense in which the stars circle the firmament of the sky.
In the most significant places of Ashoka's empire, more than 80,000 stupas were erected, which were later covered and decorated in later stages, especially during the Shunga and Andhara dynasties. Unable to interpret the sacred texts, the ambulatory (védika) and the four cardinal doors (toranas) were built. For correct understanding, a traditional and casual language was used.
From the second century AD. C. With Mahayana Buddhism the stupa begins its expansion, although maintaining its main elements.
The prestige grew and the stupas, over time, became important pilgrimage sites. They were covered with stones, which were often carved and which illustrated the life of Buddha. In Tibet, the stupa evolved and became the chorten formed by a dome resting on a base of five steps. Each of them symbolizes the five elements of the world. At the top of the spiral is a sun supported by a crescent moon, symbolizing wisdom and compassion. In China and Japan, stupas were transformed into pagodas, representing the Buddhist cosmos.
Originally, stupas consisted of a pile of stones stacked in the center of which the relics of Gautama Buddha were placed. According to tradition, after Buddha's cremation, his relics were divided into eight parts that were given to the eight kings who had paid homage to him:
These relics were those that were deposited in the primitive stupas.
According to their characteristics, stupas can be classified into four categories:.
However, not all stupas contain relics.
Similarly, not all relics are preserved in stupas.
Emperor Ashoka of India is considered the main promoter of the spread of this type of construction.
According to tradition, he ordered the construction of nearly 84,000 stupas, although this figure is believed to be more symbolic than real.
Structure
Contenido
Una estupa se compone esencialmente de cinco componentes:.
Cada uno de estos componentes se identifica con uno de los cinco elementos cósmicos:.
Symbolism
The monument symbolizes the Buddhist doctrine in which each part represents cosmic elements. The square base represents the earth. The hemispherical vault describes the celestial part. The terrace symbolizes the residence of the gods. The crescent moon is the union of heaven and earth. And finally, the chakras or discs that crown the mast and, as they gain height, lose surface and represent the successive heavens.
Characteristics
It is a center of beneficent influences, which is why great care was taken when locating the monument. In the building, prayers are recited and meditation is carried out by walking around it, always leaving the object to be venerated on the right. The stupa is delimited in a quadrangular enclosure, opened by four doors oriented to the four cardinal points.
Decoration
The decoration focuses on the toranas, it is very direct, plastic and sensual and often represents the jakatas, that is, the stories of the previous lives of Buddha or his followers.
Evolution and regional particularities
In Tibet the hemispherical vaults are bulb-shaped and, for example, in Sri Lanka they are bell-shaped. In Indochina it is shaped like an arrow and in Bhutan and Nepal they are decorated with painted eyes. In East Asia they have evolved, gaining monumentality and height.
The shape of the stupas varies depending on the region in which it is built. In Tibet, for example, they are bulb-shaped "Bulb (botany)"), while in Burma they are more like a bell.
Stupa construction outside Asia has increased in recent decades. In Spain, the first stupa was built in 1990 in the Osel Ling monastery in the Alpujarra of Granada, followed in 1992 by the Dag Shang Kagyu monastery in Panillo (Huesca), where there are currently three large stupas. The largest in Spain and one of the largest outside Asia is the Enlightenment Stupa of Benalmádena, 33 meters high. There are stupas taller than 10 meters in Karma Guen (Vélez Málaga) or Sakya Tashi Ling (Barcelona), among other places.
Types of stupas
Buddhist stupas are built for various reasons, and are classified based on their form and function into five types:[6].
[2] ↑ García-Ormaechea Quero, Carmen (1998). Arte y cultura de India: Península de Indostán, Himalaya y Sudeste Asiático. [De la A a la Z]. Cultura artística (1. ed edición). Ediciones del Serbal. ISBN 978-84-7628-238-0. |fechaacceso= requiere |url= (ayuda).
[3] ↑ Fernández del Campo, Eva (2013). El arte de India. Historia e historias. Madrid: Akal. ISBN 978-84-460-2676-1.
However, that man locked his home every time he left it, preventing access to the rest of the faithful. These, displeased, went to the Buddha to complain.
The solution he proposed to them was to build an outdoor, public reliquary for Shariputra's relics. The structure had to consist, from bottom to top, of:.
With these instructions, the Buddha established the architectural foundations of Buddhist stupas, including his own.[4][5].
In Sanchi there are three stupas, divided into the Great Stupa (number 1) and stupas number 2 and 3, because Buddha's ashes were divided between eight different congregations of monks in different places, and in this place the three oldest stupas are found. There are several interpretations in the different Buddhist schools about the symbology of a stupa. For example, it represents the "awakened mind" and the path necessary to reach this spiritual state, or that it represents the body of Buddha, his speech and his mind, which teach the path of awakening.
On a large platform (medhi), like a sacrificial altar, which represents the earth, rises the solid, hemispherical central body, which represents the celestial vault (anda, 'egg'). Above, there is a quadrangular palisade (harmika) that refers to and symbolizes the residence of the divinity, protecting the upper part of the axis of the universe (iashti), which hypothetically crosses the vault.
Several decreasing discs (chatravali) are placed on the axis, which form the shape of a sacred umbrella, emphasizing the dignity that the relic in question represents (the more chatravali there are, the more sacred it is considered). The pilgrim had to approach it from the east, and surround it from left to right, so that the monument always had to be on the right side. Thus imitating the sense in which the stars circle the firmament of the sky.
In the most significant places of Ashoka's empire, more than 80,000 stupas were erected, which were later covered and decorated in later stages, especially during the Shunga and Andhara dynasties. Unable to interpret the sacred texts, the ambulatory (védika) and the four cardinal doors (toranas) were built. For correct understanding, a traditional and casual language was used.
From the second century AD. C. With Mahayana Buddhism the stupa begins its expansion, although maintaining its main elements.
The prestige grew and the stupas, over time, became important pilgrimage sites. They were covered with stones, which were often carved and which illustrated the life of Buddha. In Tibet, the stupa evolved and became the chorten formed by a dome resting on a base of five steps. Each of them symbolizes the five elements of the world. At the top of the spiral is a sun supported by a crescent moon, symbolizing wisdom and compassion. In China and Japan, stupas were transformed into pagodas, representing the Buddhist cosmos.
Originally, stupas consisted of a pile of stones stacked in the center of which the relics of Gautama Buddha were placed. According to tradition, after Buddha's cremation, his relics were divided into eight parts that were given to the eight kings who had paid homage to him:
These relics were those that were deposited in the primitive stupas.
According to their characteristics, stupas can be classified into four categories:.
However, not all stupas contain relics.
Similarly, not all relics are preserved in stupas.
Emperor Ashoka of India is considered the main promoter of the spread of this type of construction.
According to tradition, he ordered the construction of nearly 84,000 stupas, although this figure is believed to be more symbolic than real.
Structure
Contenido
Una estupa se compone esencialmente de cinco componentes:.
Cada uno de estos componentes se identifica con uno de los cinco elementos cósmicos:.
Symbolism
The monument symbolizes the Buddhist doctrine in which each part represents cosmic elements. The square base represents the earth. The hemispherical vault describes the celestial part. The terrace symbolizes the residence of the gods. The crescent moon is the union of heaven and earth. And finally, the chakras or discs that crown the mast and, as they gain height, lose surface and represent the successive heavens.
Characteristics
It is a center of beneficent influences, which is why great care was taken when locating the monument. In the building, prayers are recited and meditation is carried out by walking around it, always leaving the object to be venerated on the right. The stupa is delimited in a quadrangular enclosure, opened by four doors oriented to the four cardinal points.
Decoration
The decoration focuses on the toranas, it is very direct, plastic and sensual and often represents the jakatas, that is, the stories of the previous lives of Buddha or his followers.
Evolution and regional particularities
In Tibet the hemispherical vaults are bulb-shaped and, for example, in Sri Lanka they are bell-shaped. In Indochina it is shaped like an arrow and in Bhutan and Nepal they are decorated with painted eyes. In East Asia they have evolved, gaining monumentality and height.
The shape of the stupas varies depending on the region in which it is built. In Tibet, for example, they are bulb-shaped "Bulb (botany)"), while in Burma they are more like a bell.
Stupa construction outside Asia has increased in recent decades. In Spain, the first stupa was built in 1990 in the Osel Ling monastery in the Alpujarra of Granada, followed in 1992 by the Dag Shang Kagyu monastery in Panillo (Huesca), where there are currently three large stupas. The largest in Spain and one of the largest outside Asia is the Enlightenment Stupa of Benalmádena, 33 meters high. There are stupas taller than 10 meters in Karma Guen (Vélez Málaga) or Sakya Tashi Ling (Barcelona), among other places.
Types of stupas
Buddhist stupas are built for various reasons, and are classified based on their form and function into five types:[6].
[2] ↑ García-Ormaechea Quero, Carmen (1998). Arte y cultura de India: Península de Indostán, Himalaya y Sudeste Asiático. [De la A a la Z]. Cultura artística (1. ed edición). Ediciones del Serbal. ISBN 978-84-7628-238-0. |fechaacceso= requiere |url= (ayuda).
[3] ↑ Fernández del Campo, Eva (2013). El arte de India. Historia e historias. Madrid: Akal. ISBN 978-84-460-2676-1.