PANDIT LAKHMI CHAND STATE UNIVERSITY OF PERFORMING &

VISUAL ARTS

NAME- GAUTAM JAIN

DEPARTMENT- PRODUCT DESIGN
MODULE- PHILOSOPHY & HISTORY
OF DESIGN
SEMESTER- 3RD
STUPAS IN ASIA
The Great Stupa at Sanchi
• The Sanchi stupa was originally commissioned by the Mauryan
emperor Ashoka the Great in the 3rd century BCE.

• This huge hemispherical dome is 54 ft. high

• Sanchi Stupa was commissioned by Emperor Ashoka and supervised

by his queen Devi and daughter Vidisha.

• Sanchi Stupa remained deserted and undiscovered from the 14th

century until the year 1818 when General Taylor rediscovered the
site.

• It’s the oldest stone structure in India.

• Sanchi Stupa has a large number of Brahmi inscriptions(Brahmi is a writing

system of ancient South Asia)

• The stupa is a symbol of Buddha and more precisely the symbol of

enlightened mind and presence.

• A hemispherical mound called Anda. The domed shape Anda with green
highlights portrays the mound of dirt that was used to cover Lord Buddha's
remains.

• A square railing called Harmika.

• A central pillar supporting a triple umbrella form called Chattra.

Sanchi Stupa: Architecture
• The Great Stupa at Sanchi exhibits
the Buddhist architectural style.
With a height of 54 feet and a
pedestal diameter of 120 feet, it is
one of the largest of its kind in the
whole country.

• The Stupa is 21.64

meters in height with a
diameter of 36.5 meters.

• Original stupa has wooden

railing which was later replace
by stone railing

• It was built to commemorate

the spiritual body of buddha
contain his relics ( hair, teeth
and bone.
Shanti Stupa
• Shanti Stupa is a Buddhist white-domed
stupa (chorten) on a hilltop in Chanspa,
Leh district, Ladakh, in north India

• It was built in 1991 by Japanese Buddhist

Bhikshu, Gyomyo Nakamura

• The Shanti Stupa project was part of the

“peace pagoda mission,”
• The walls of Chantis Tuppa are painted
with colorful reliefs depicting the
milestones of Gautam Buddha’s life,
including his birth, the fight against the
devil, victory over injustice, and death.

• Inside, there is a huge meditation hall

• The Shanti Stupa was built to promote

world peace
• Buddhist stupas serve as a marker for a
sacred space representing the grand Gautam
Buddha’s burial mound. India has few of
the oldest stupas of the Buddhist culture.
The Shanti Stupa’s architecture imitates
that of the much older stupas. Its
architectural style is quite different from the
typical Ladakhi architecture, making it a
unique and popular attraction
 Dhamekh Stupa
• Dhamekh Stupa is the most noticeable structure in Sarnath,
near Varanasi.
• The Dhamek Stupa was built in 500 CE to replace an earlier
structure commissioned by the great Mauryan king Ashoka
in 249 BCE.
• This solid cylindrical shaped Stupa made of red bricks and
stone in its present position stands at a height of 43.6 m
with a diameter of 28 m.
• The lower part of the Dhamek Stupa has eight projecting
faces. They are each twenty-one feet six inches in width.
Dhamekh: architecture

• The stone facing under the niches are

ornamented with fine floral carvings that
manifest high level of craftsmanship on
stone during the period of Gupta Dynasty.

• script is etched on the wall of the

Stupa along with magnificently
sculpted floral and geometrical
designs and figurines of birds and
humans.
Kesariya Stupa
• The archeologists believe the Stupa in
Kesariya known to the people as “Raja Ben
ka DEORA“ was built by Licchivis of
Vaishali before Buddha attained Nirvana

• It is the largest site on the Buddhist route.

• Kesariya Stupa is 104 feet high.

• The locals call the stupa “devalaya” meaning

“house of gods”

• Lord Buddha on his last Journey spent a memorable

height at Kesariya.
Kesariya stupa: architecture
CAVES IN ASIA
pindaya caves
• The Pindaya Caves located next to the
town of Pindaya, Shan State, Burma
(Myanmar)
• Pindaya takes its name from a local
legend. The story goes that seven
princesses bathing in the lake below were
captured by a giant spider living in the
caves. It was down to brave Prince
Kummabhaya and his trusty longbow to
rescue the fair maidens who were trapped
in an enormous spider’s web within the
cave.

• It is known for its interior which

contains over 8,000 images of Buddha.

• Some of the older statues and images in the cave have inscriptions dating to the late 18th century, or early Konbaung
period, and the earliest one dates from 1773.
Borra caves
• Borra (meaning hole in Odia) caves are
located in the Anantagiri Hill ranges of the
Eastern Ghats.

• The hill range is between 800 meters and

1,300 meters above mean sea level and
about 90 km from Visakhapatnam

• William King was the British geologist

who discovered this million-year-old
cave in the year 1807.

• The cave created millions of years ago

by water activity, mainly by the
Gosthani river
Barabar caves
• Barabar Hills embraces the cluster of four caves,
together called Barabar Caves. These four caves
are Lomas Rishi Caves, Sudama caves,
Vishwakarma Caves, and Karan Chaupar caves.

• This cluster of Barabar Caves lies around 40

km from Bodh Gaya, in the state of Bihar in
India.

• Barabar caves can be dated back to the 3rd

Century BC to the times of the Mauryan Empire
(322 BCE -185 BCE)

• Barabar hill caves are Buddhist caves. One can

also find a few Hindu and Jain sculptures

• He exciting echo effect is a common feature of all the Barabar caves.

 elephanta caves
• These archaeological remains reveal evidence of
occupation from as early as the 2nd century BC. The rock-
cut Elephanta Caves were constructed about the mid-5th to
6th centuries AD
• Elephanta caves measures 39 meters from the front entrance
to the back.

• A collection of Shiva and Buddhist rock-cut temples located

near Mumbai, Elephanta Caves is a fascinating blend of art
and heritage

• The Shaivite group of caves − While there are many

examples of Buddhist Caves in India, Elephanta Caves
stand as a unique and important example as it is
influenced by Shaiva traditions and mythology in the
Shiva Purana.

• The caves are filled with beautiful stone carvings of Hindu gods and goddess. The statue of Parvati, Ravana and
especially of Lord Shiva