← History & Cultures
Stupa
/ˈstuːpə/
HISTORY & CULTURESintermediate
Definition
A hemispherical Buddhist monument, originally built to house sacred relics. The stupa is one of the oldest architectural forms in South and Southeast Asia, and its geometry — dome, spire, encircling path — has symbolic cosmological meaning. Stupas evolved into the pagoda as Buddhism spread eastward.
Example
The Great Stupa at Sanchi, India (3rd century BC), commissioned by Emperor Ashoka, is the oldest stone structure in India and a foundational monument of Buddhist architecture — its four gateways are covered in relief carvings of extraordinary quality.