Category: Ritual Objects | Tradition: Buddhism | Origin: Nepal, India, and Tibet
A stupa is a Buddhist sacred monument that represents the Buddha and his enlightened mind. It began as a mound that held relics, and over the centuries it grew into the many forms seen across Asia, from the great white domes of the Kathmandu Valley to the small stupas that sit on altars and in homes. In Tibetan Buddhism, it is called a chörten, which means a support for offerings, and in Nepal a stupa is often called a chaitya. This guide explains what a stupa is, how a stupa differs from a chörten and a chaitya, where the stupa comes from, what its parts and shapes mean, the main types and regional styles, some famous stupas, and how a stupa is used and kept at home. Interpretations differ between traditions and teachers, so this is a general overview and not the only explanation.
What Is a Stupa?
The word stupa comes from Sanskrit and is commonly translated as a heap or mound. A stupa is a built monument, large or small, that stands as a support for Buddhist devotion. In its oldest meaning, it is a place where relics of the Buddha or of a revered teacher are kept, but over time it came to mean much more: a sign of the Buddha's presence, a reminder of his teachings, and a focus for prayer, offerings, and meditation.
Most large stupas are solid or mostly solid structures, not buildings that people enter. People do not go inside a stupa to pray. They walk around it, make offerings in front of it and sit near it. Smaller stupas, such as the ones placed on altars, are usually made of metal and are often hollow, so that relics, texts, or other sacred materials can be placed inside them by someone who knows the correct procedure.
Stupas are built for several reasons. Some hold relics, others mark a sacred place or an event in the life of the Buddha, and others honor a great teacher or are made as an act of devotion and a way of gathering merit. Whatever their purpose, a stupa is treated with great respect, and in Buddhist tradition, seeing, circling or making offerings to one is thought to bring benefit.
Stupa, Chörten and Chaitya: What Is the Difference?
These three words are closely related, and in daily speech they are often used for the same kind of monument. They are not exact synonyms, however, and it helps to know where each one belongs.
• Stupa: The widely used Sanskrit term for the Buddhist monument. It is used for the early monuments of India, for large stupas in many countries, and as the general English term.
• Chörten: The Tibetan term, written in Tibetan as mchod rten, which means a support or basis for offering. It is used across Tibet, Bhutan and the Himalayan regions, and it is the usual word in Tibetan Buddhist communities. A chörten belongs to the wider stupa tradition and usually has a stepped base, a rounded body and a tapering spire.
• Chaitya: A broader Sanskrit word for a sacred place, shrine or object of worship. In ancient India, a chaitya hall was a worship hall with a stupa at one end. In Nepal, especially among the Newar Buddhists of the Kathmandu Valley, chaitya is a common name for a stupa, and small chaityas stand in courtyards, monastery grounds, street corners and along the roads of the valley.
|
Term |
Language and region |
Usual meaning |
|
Stupa |
Sanskrit, used across Buddhist Asia |
Buddhist monument, often with relics |
|
Chörten |
Tibetan, used in Tibet, Bhutan and the Himalayas |
Tibetan Buddhist form of the stupa, a support for offering |
|
Chaitya |
Sanskrit, commonly used in Nepal |
A sacred place or shrine, and in Nepal a small stupa |
These distinctions are general. The right word depends on the region and the tradition in which a monument stands, and in Nepal you will often hear all three words used for the same kind of structure.
Where the Stupa Comes From
Mound-shaped monuments for the dead are older than Buddhism in South Asia. Buddhism adopted the mound and gave it a new meaning. According to Buddhist tradition, after the Buddha passed into parinirvana, his cremated remains were divided and placed in monuments, which became places of pilgrimage and devotion.
In the third century BCE, Emperor Ashoka supported Buddhism and the building of Buddhist monuments across his empire. The great stupa at Sanchi in central India shows how a simple mound grew over several centuries into an elaborate monument, with a stone-faced dome, a walkway for walking around it, railings and carved gateways. Early Buddhist art often showed the Buddha indirectly, through symbols such as the Bodhi tree, the wheel, footprints and an empty throne, and stupas were one of the main forms of devotion in this period.
As Buddhism spread, the stupa took on regional forms. Sri Lanka developed large dome-shaped monuments called dagobas, Southeast Asia produced bell-shaped and terraced forms, and in East Asia the stupa is related to the pagoda. In the Himalayas, the stupa became the chörten, with its stepped base, bell or vase-shaped body and tall spire of discs. Nepal, and the Kathmandu Valley in particular, became an important center of Buddhist art, where the stupa is part of everyday life, from the great monuments to the small chaityas in every neighborhood.
The Parts of a Stupa and What They Mean
Stupas differ from region to region, but a Himalayan stupa usually has the parts described below. Each part is commonly given a meaning, though these meanings are not fixed, and different teachers explain them in different ways.
The Base
The base is a stepped or square platform that supports the whole monument. It gives the stupa its stability and is often explained as the earth and as the foundation of practice. On large stupas, this is the platform where people walk around the monument.
The Dome or Vase
The rounded body of the stupa may be a dome, a bell, or a vase, depending on the style. It is often read as the Buddha's presence, a mound for relics, or a treasure vase holding the jewels of enlightenment. In small stupas, the body is the part that is hollow and can hold sacred contents.
The Harmika
The harmika is the square section above the dome. It is commonly understood as a sacred enclosure, a kind of heavenly pavilion for the relics below it. On Nepalese stupas, the harmika carries the painted eyes of the Buddha, which look out in the four directions.
The Eyes of the Buddha
The large painted eyes on the harmika of Swayambhu, Boudhanath and many other Nepalese stupas are among the most recognizable images of the Himalayas. They are usually explained as the all-seeing wisdom and compassion of the Buddha, looking out in all four directions, over the valley and everyone in it. Above the eyes is a smaller mark that stands for the third eye, or wisdom. Between the eyes, where a nose would be, there is a curled shape that is commonly explained as the Nepali numeral for one, representing unity and the single path to enlightenment through the Buddha's teachings.
The Spire of Discs
Above the harmika rises a tapering stack of discs, usually thirteen in Tibetan and Nepalese stupas. They are commonly explained as the thirteen stages of the path toward enlightenment, so that the spire is a picture of the ladder that a practitioner climbs. In some explanations, the spire also stands for the central axis of the universe.
The Parasol and the Finial
The parasol at the top is an ancient sign of honor and protection in South Asia, and on a stupa it is a sign of the sacredness of the monument. Above it is a finial, which often shows a crescent moon, a sun and a jewel. On many Nepalese stupas, the spire and the parasol are gilded.
What a Stupa Symbolizes
At its heart, a stupa represents the Buddha and the path to awakening. Its meaning works on several levels at once, and different traditions emphasize different readings.
• The Buddha's body, speech, and mind: In Tibetan Buddhism, a stupa is understood as a representation of the Buddha's enlightened mind, and it is one of the traditional supports for body, speech, and mind, alongside statues and sacred texts.
• The five elements: The parts of the stupa are commonly explained as the five elements: the square base as earth, the dome as water, the spire as fire, the parasol or crescent as air, and the finial as space. This reading is common in Tibetan and Himalayan Buddhism, though it is not the only one.
• The path to enlightenment: The stable base and the rising spire are often seen as a picture of the journey from the ground to awakening, with the thirteen discs as stages along the way.
• A sacred center: A stupa is a focus for the community. It gathers people for prayer, festivals, and pilgrimage, and it makes the presence of the Buddha part of the place in which people live.
Not every stupa holds relics. Some hold texts or consecrated objects, and others simply commemorate a place or an event, but all of them are treated as supports for practice. Because explanations vary between schools and teachers, these readings are best taken as common ones and not as the only explanation.
Types of Stupa
Stupas can be sorted in several ways: by the event they remember, by their shape, and by their purpose. These groups overlap, so a single stupa may belong to more than one of them.
The Eight Great Stupas
Tibetan Buddhism recognizes eight commemorative stupas, each linked to an event in the life of the Buddha. Their forms differ in their bases, steps, and proportions, and the names and details vary a little between traditions and translations.
• Lotus Blossom Stupa (Heaped Lotuses): Marks the Buddha's birth at Lumbini. Lotus petals decorate its steps, in memory of the lotuses said to have appeared at his first steps.
• Enlightenment Stupa: Marks the Buddha's enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, and is also called the Stupa of Victory over Mara. It is often described as the central stupa of the group.
• Stupa of Many Doors (Many Gates): Marks the first teaching at Sarnath, where the Buddha taught the Four Noble Truths. Rows of doorways on its steps stand for the many gateways to the Dharma.
• Stupa of Great Miracles: Marks the display of miraculous powers at Shravasti. It is distinguished by projections at the center of each side.
• Stupa of Descent from the Heaven of the Thirty-Three: Marks the Buddha's return from teaching his mother in the heavenly realm. A staircase on its base recalls the triple stairway on which he came down.
• Stupa of Reconciliation: Marks the healing of a division in the monastic community. Its base is octagonal.
• Stupa of Complete Victory: Marks the Buddha's decision to extend his life. It is linked with long life and is shown with three rounded steps at the drum level.
• Stupa of Parinirvana: Marks the Buddha's passing at Kushinagar. It has no drum, and its dome is shaped like an upturned bowl.
Other Forms of Stupa
Besides the eight, there are other forms that are known by their style or by their purpose. They do not form one single list, and some describe a shape while others describe the reason a stupa is made.
• Kadam (Kadampa) style stupa: A well-known form in Tibetan Buddhism. It is usually shown with a rounded, bell-shaped lower body, a square section above it, a tapering spire of thirteen discs and a parasol on top. It is named for the Kadampa tradition and is a common form for stupas used in ritual and kept on altars. Its clear and balanced shape makes it one of the most familiar forms of the Tibetan chörten, and in Nepal it is one of the styles you will see most often.
• Relic stupa: A stupa built to hold the remains or belongings of the Buddha or of a revered teacher. This is the oldest and most important type, and it is the reason the stupa exists. A relic stupa is treated with special respect, because it is understood to hold a direct link with the person it commemorates.
• Votive stupa: A stupa made as an offering, to gather merit, to remember an event or to dedicate prayers for others. Votive stupas are often small and may be placed in groups around a larger stupa, in a monastery or along a pilgrimage path. A small stupa kept at home is often a votive stupa in this sense.
• Kalachakra stupa: A form associated with the Kalachakra teachings. It is linked in some traditions with protection and with calming harmful influences, and it is part of a particular lineage of practice.
• Dharmakaya stupa: A form associated with the Dharmakaya, the ultimate dimension of Buddhahood. The name stresses that the stupa stands for enlightened reality itself, beyond any single form or place.
These forms can overlap. A stupa can be a Kadam-style stupa, which describes its shape, and also a votive stupa, which describes the reason it was made.
Regional Styles of the Stupa
The stupa has taken different forms in each region it has reached. These are the main ones, in a few words each.
Nepal
Nepalese stupas are known for their large white domes, the square harmika with the painted eyes of the Buddha, and a tall gilded spire with thirteen steps. Large stupas such as Swayambhu and Boudhanath stand at the center of living religious communities, and many small chaityas are part of the streets, courtyards and monasteries of the Kathmandu Valley.
Tibet and the Himalayas
The Tibetan chörten usually has a stepped square base, a rounded or vase-shaped body, a square upper section and a spire of discs. Its proportions can be linked with particular types and meanings, such as the Eight Great Stupas. Chortens often stand at monastery entrances, mountain passes and the edges of villages.
Bhutan
Bhutanese chortens are common near monasteries, mountain passes, settlements and pilgrimage routes. They often have whitewashed bodies, stepped bases and ornamented finials.
Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia and East Asia
In Sri Lanka, stupas are called dagobas, and some of them are very large, with a plain dome and a prominent spire. In Southeast Asia, stupas take bell-shaped, pointed and terraced forms, and Borobudur in Indonesia combines a great terraced monument with many smaller stupas. In East Asia, the stupa developed into the pagoda, a tower that is related to it but is not the same in form or use.
Famous Stupas
A few of the world's great stupas show the range of the tradition. They are described more fully in our separate article, Famous Stupas of Nepal and Beyond.
• Swayambhu, Nepal: A great stupa on a hill west of Kathmandu, sacred to Newar and Tibetan Buddhists alike. Its name means the self-arisen, and a well-known legend tells how a lotus rose from the lake that once filled the valley, and how the bodhisattva Manjushri drained the lake so that people could live there. It is also known as the Monkey Temple, and it is part of the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage property.
• Boudhanath, Nepal: The largest stupa in Nepal and a major center of Tibetan Buddhism. It is often dated to about the fourteenth century, though dates and legends vary. Pilgrims walk around it clockwise in a practice called kora, turning prayer wheels as they go, and it is also part of the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage property.
• Sanchi, India: One of the oldest and best-preserved Buddhist sites in India, where the Great Stupa was built up over several centuries and has carved gateways showing scenes from Buddhist stories.
• Dhamek Stupa, Sarnath, India: A tall cylindrical stupa at the place where the Buddha gave his first teaching.
• Borobudur, Indonesia: A great terraced monument of the eighth and ninth centuries, topped by a central stupa and surrounded by many smaller perforated stupas.
Read more: Famous Stupas of Nepal and Beyond
How a Stupa Is Used
The stupa is used mainly through the practices of devotion, which anyone can take part in with respect and care.
• Circumambulation: Walking around the stupa, usually clockwise, is the most common practice. It is called pradakshina in Sanskrit and kora in Tibetan. People often recite prayers or mantras as they walk, or simply walk in silence, with the stupa always on their right.
• Offerings: Flowers, butter lamps, incense, water, and other offerings are made at a stupa to show reverence and generosity. Butter lamps lit around a stupa are a familiar sight in Nepal.
• Prayer and meditation: People sit near a stupa to pray, chant or meditate, using it as a focus for the mind.
• Prostration: In several traditions, people bow or prostrate before a stupa as a sign of respect.
• Pilgrimage: Great stupas draw pilgrims from many regions, especially during festivals, and pilgrimage to them is itself an act of devotion.
A small stupa at home is kept for the same reasons, as a support for practice and a reminder of the Buddha's presence. Many people place one on an altar and offer a light or incense in front of it, or walk around a small stupa in thought. Because a stupa can be hollow, some people also have a teacher fill or consecrate it with relics, texts or other prescribed materials. If you plan to do this, ask your teacher about the right contents and the right rites, since they differ between lineages.
What Goes Inside a Stupa?
A stupa is more than a shape. In Tibetan tradition, it is made into a sacred support by what is placed inside it, and these contents are prescribed by Buddhist texts and are not chosen freely. They differ between lineages and between stupas, so what follows is a general overview.
- Relics: At the heart of many stupas are relics, such as the remains or belongings of the Buddha or of a revered teacher. They are usually kept in a small container at the core.
- Sacred texts: Printed or handwritten texts, such as volumes of the Buddha’s teachings, are often placed inside the vase or dome, since a stupa is a support for the Buddha’s speech as well as his mind.
- Mantras and dharanis: Many small rolls of paper printed or written with mantras and dharanis are placed inside, honoring Buddhas, bodhisattvas and teachers. Some rolls of purifying mantras are scattered through the stupa to correct any mistakes made during the filling.
- The life tree (sokshing): A wooden pillar, often carved from a single tree trunk, runs through the center of the stupa like a spine. It is written all over with mantras and prayers, and it is often the last element to be set in place.
- Tsa-tsas: Small molded clay or plaster stupas and images, which may themselves hold grains and small mantra rolls, are included as offerings.
- Blessed and precious substances: These can include grains and seeds as food offerings, medicinal substances, earth from holy places, and jewels or stones. The gaps are then packed with materials such as incense and fragrant wood.
Filling a stupa is a ritual act, and it is done by a lama or someone trained in the correct texts, following the prescribed procedure. If you want your stupa filled or consecrated, ask your teacher about the right contents and the right ceremony. Our stupas are hollow inside, like our statues, so that they can be filled at the customer’s request. They are not filled or blessed when we sell them, and we can arrange filling and blessing on your behalf if you ask.
Materials and Craftsmanship
We offer almost all types of stupa, from small altar models to larger pieces and miniature pendants. Most are made of copper or copper alloy, and some are made of brass, bronze, silver, white metal, wood, or bone. Some pendants and miniature stupas are made of gold. Our stupas are made much as statues are made, by casting from a wax model and then carving and finishing by hand, followed by gilding, plating, or an oxidized finish and stone decoration. Each piece is hollow inside, like our statues, so that it can be filled if the customer wishes.
Sizes and details vary, so each product page lists the materials and measurements of that piece. For more detail, see the articles below.
Read more: What Is a Stupa Made Of? | How Is a Stupa Made?
Care and Placement
Place your stupa on a clean, raised surface such as an altar or a shelf, at a respectful height, and avoid the floor. Because it stands for the Buddha's presence, it is traditionally kept in a clean and quiet place, and it is not placed where things are thrown, stored, or walked over. If you keep other sacred objects, many people place the stupa with them on the same altar.
Dust it with a soft, dry cloth. Avoid water and harsh polish, especially on gilded, plated, and stone-set pieces, and keep it away from damp, strong sun, and direct heat, which can fade colors and damage finishes. Handle it with clean hands, lift it with both hands when you move it, and treat it with respect, as you would any sacred object.
Our stupas are not filled and not blessed. We do not sell blessed items, but filling and blessing can be arranged at the customer's request, on the customer's behalf. Many people prefer to ask their own teacher.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a stupa?
A stupa is a Buddhist monument that represents the Buddha and the path to awakening. It began as a mound holding relics and is now built in many forms, large and small.
What is the difference between a stupa, a chörten and a chaitya?
Stupa is the Sanskrit term, chörten is the Tibetan term, and chaitya is a broader Sanskrit word that is commonly used for stupas in Nepal.
What does a stupa symbolize?
The Buddha and the path to enlightenment. Its parts are often explained as the five elements, from the earth at the base to space at the top, and its spire of thirteen discs as the stages of the path.
What do the eyes on a stupa mean?
The eyes on Nepalese stupas are usually explained as the all-seeing wisdom and compassion of the Buddha, looking out in the four directions.
What is a Kadam style stupa?
A well-known Tibetan form with a bell-shaped body, a square section, a spire of thirteen discs, and a parasol on top.
What are the Eight Great Stupas?
Eight commemorative stupas that mark events in the life of the Buddha, including his birth, enlightenment, first teaching, and parinirvana.
Why do people walk around a stupa clockwise?
Walking clockwise, with the stupa on the right, is the traditional way of showing respect in Buddhist practice. It is called pradakshina or kora.
What is put inside a stupa?
Traditionally, relics, sacred texts, mantras, a central wooden pillar called a sokshing, small tsa-tsas, and blessed substances are placed by a lama or trained practitioner.
Does a stupa contain relics?
Some do, and some hold texts or consecrated objects, while others do not. Our stupas are hollow, so they can be filled on request.
Can I keep a stupa at home?
Yes. Many people keep one on a home altar as a support for practice. Place it on a clean, raised, and respectful spot.
Are your stupas blessed?
No. We do not sell blessed items, but we can arrange filling and a blessing at your request on your behalf.
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