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Home , Avadana, Capital (architecture), Sanchi, Stupa

Great at Location

- Many worldwide

- Great Stupa at Sanchi located in Sanchi,

- 300 B.C.E. - 100 C.E History/Context

- Before the Buddha, great teachers were cremated or buried in an upright position - The stupa itself represents the Buddha’s body in the lotus position - Legend claims King created 84,000 stupas and spread the Buddha’s ashes among all of them - His ashes were spread among eight different stupas located in places important to the journey of his enlightenment (, , Kushingara, etc.) - Ashoka’s goal was to help others with their new faith Form

- The components of the stupa combine to form the body of the Buddha - The base represented the lotus position, the middle portion his body, and the top where the yasti rests, is his head - There are two walkways surrounding the building - One does not enter the stupa () - Yasti is the , topped by chatras, surrounded by harmika

Detail

- Oldest stone structure in India - Within the ground level walkways are carvings of the Buddha - On the Buddha is presented in non-human form (footprints, stupa, etc) North Gate

- Four gates total (represent the four cardinal directions) 35 feet each - Each one represents great aspects of the Buddha’s life - Guides the buddhist practitioner in the proper way to honor his remains and reach the path of Enlightenment - The North gate represents - The final gate one walks through - Atop sits a held up by four elephants, and a three tiered superstructure carved with intricate scenes and creature such as the yakshi Function

- The stupa is a reminder of the Buddha’s teachings to practitioners of thousands of years after death - Provides beneficial karma - offers ten merits to building a stupa - Ex. One will not be born in a remote location and suffer from poverty https://youtu.be/_FDZoXA_-Gc https://youtu.be/NJsLHcL3Bvs