Read the following excerpts carefully and answer the questions that follow.
[This is an excerpt from the Mahaparinibbana Sutta, part of the Sutta Pitaka:]
As the Buddha lay dying, Ananda asked him: “What are we to do Lord, with the remains of the Tathagata (another name for the Buddha)?”
The Buddha replied: “Hinder not yourselves Ananda by honouring the remains of the Tathagata. Be zealous, be intent on your own good.”
But when pressed further, the Buddha said: “At the four crossroads they should erect a thupa (Pali for stupa) to the Tathagata. And whosoever shall there place garlands or perfume ... or make a salutation there, or become in its presence calm of heart, that shall long be to them for a profit and joy.”
A. Why were the stupas built?
B. What did Asoka do with the relics of Buddha?
C. Describe the structure of the stupas.
B. According to a Buddhist text known as the Asokavadana, Asoka distributed portions of the Buddha’s relics to every important town and ordered the construction of stupas over them.
C. Different stupas were built in different ways. Each stupa has a history of its own.
The stupa (a Sanskrit word meaning a heap) originated as a simple semi-circular mound of earth, later called the anda. Gradually it evolved into a more complex structure, balancing round and square shapes. Above the anda was the harmika, a balcony like structure that represented the abode of the gods. Arising from the harmika was a mast called the yastii, often surmounted by a chhatri or umbrella. Around the mound was a railing, separating the sacred space from the secular world outside.
The early stupas at Sanchi and Bharhut were plain except for the stone railings, which resembled a bamboo or wooden fence, and the gateways which were richly carved and installed at the four cardinal points. Worshippers entered through the eastern gateway and walked around the mound in a clockwise direction keeping the mound on the right, imitating the sun’s course through the sky. Later, the mound of the stupas came to be elaborately carved with niches and sculptures as at Amaravati, and Shah-ji-ki-Dheri in Peshawar (Pakistan).
