Stupas in Orissa (Study)

by Meenakshi Chauley | 2013 | 109,845 words

This study examines the Stupas and Votive Stupas in Odisha or Orissa (Eastern India).—In this thesis an attempt has been made to trace the historicity of Buddhism in Odisha on the basis of the architectural development of the Stupa architecture. Archaeological evidence obtained from excavated sites dates such structures as early as third-second cen...

Evolution of Stupa (2): Vinaya Uttaragrantha

This text records the tradition of the construction of a Stupa the Buddha’s hair and nails. There is a long list of additional structural components and ornamental parts which are slowly added to the Stupa constructed over Buddha’s hair and nails by Anathapindaka during his life time.

The following account is mentioned in the seventh stanza of the sutra (Dorjee 1996:4);(also see Kagyur, Vinaya, Derge, Vol.PA, (Toh.7) fol.264b6). With Buddha’s permission Anathapindaka white washes the Stupa build over the hair and nails of Lord Buddha to make it look attractive.

Later he realised that the Stupa did not look nice in the evening due to lack of illumination. So, he requests Buddha to allow him to offer a circle of butter lamp and the installation of the lamps were tested in three ways: by putting the lamps on the upper part of the Stupa, which tarnished the white colour of the Stupa due to dripping of the oil and the lamps were place in the lower part from where the lamps were easily accessible to dogs who consumed the oil and which caused the architect to make niches for holding the lamps.

Similar problem arose with regards to the cattle that polluted the area around the Stupa by strewing their dung. So, in Buddha’s concern railings were erected all around the Stupa and gateways (torana) were also added to it.

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