BUDDHIST STUPA - ART AND CULTURE
News: ASI
stumbles upon 1,300-yr-old Buddhist Stupa at Khondalite stone mining site in
Odisha
What's in the news?
● The
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)
stumbled upon a 1,300-year-old stupa right in the middle of a mining site in
Odisha’s Jajpur district from where Khondalite
stones were supplied for the beautification project around the 12 th
Century Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri.
Key takeaways:
● The
archaeological asset was found at Parabhadi
which is situated near Lalitagiri, a major Buddhist complex, having a large number of stupas and monasteries.
● Khondalite
stones were widely used in ancient temple complexes.
● The
State government of Odisha had come
up with an ambitious plan to spend ₹3,208 crore under the Augmentation of Basic Amenities and Development of Heritage and
Architecture (ABADHA) scheme in three years to transform Puri into a world
heritage city.
Buddhist stupa:
● A
Buddhist stupa is a commemorative monument usually housing sacred relics
associated with the Buddha or other saints or priests, whereas votive stupas
have similar significance but are smaller structures originating in eight
cylindrical structures.
● The
most important and well known stupas come from Bahrut, Sanchi, Nagarjunakonda and Sarnath.
● It is perhaps only in
Buddhism that a particular structure has been recommended by its founder for
worship and salvation, for the Stupa enables the worshiper to not only think of
the Buddha as an imminent reality but also epitomizes his enlightenment and
nirvana.
● In
this way the Buddhist Stupa transcends its predecessor, the burial mound or
tumulus, by shifting the emphasis from a particular relic to a higher
transcendental actuality as realized by the Buddha, i.e. the Buddha's
attainment and the worshiper's goal.
Parts of the Stupas:
● Anda:
It is the Hemispherical dome.
● Harmika:
Top of dome is 'Harmika', square balcony in decorative form enclosing a
pedestal.
● Chattra:
A 3 tiered stone / wooden umbrella chhatrayasti raised over pedestal which was
the vedic alter of sacrifice and represented the village shrine.
● Vedica: Stupa is enclosed
with a wooden / stone railing called vedica.
● Toranas:
They were ceremonial gateways placed at cardinal point similar to Aryan village
gates.
● Medhi:
Medhi (pedestrian Path) for devotees to wave in homage to stupa. Medhi was
approached by a double staircase sopana.
● Example:
Sanchi Stupa
Viharas:
● The
viharas served as monasteries for the monks
to reside. The rectangular hall had small cells on either sides with a
circular chamber in the centre of the hall which housed the relics or even the
image of the Buddha.
● These
viharas could be either rock cut set in caves or even structured. Ultimately
some of the most important viharas
transformed into universities like Nalanda and Takshashila.
Chaityas:
● Chaityas
were prayer halls used by monks for various spiritual and religious purposes.
● These
were rectangular shaped halls consisting of many pillars and often enclosed a
stupa or an image of Buddha.
● Chaityas
were carved either as rectangular halls with an apsidal vault-roof.
● The
chaitya halls embodied the same metaphysical symbolism that was attached to the
stupa form.