- Architecture & Stupas
| Buddhist |
The presence of extensive Buddhist ruins distributed so widely across the whole of India is a remarkable phenomenon. Buddhism was a dynamic force that was born and thrived in India for 1700 years. Between the 5th century B.C. and 12th century A.D. the whole of India was rich with the culture of Buddhist life that spread to other parts of the world.
Bodhgaya, Vaishali, Nalanda, Sarnath command special veneration of the Buddhists because these were associated with the persona of Lord Buddha. The neighboring States of Bihar are also rich with Monuments depicting the architecture of Buddhist period. Sanchi Located in Madhya Pradesh is known for Stupas, monasteries, temples and pillars that stretch across the period from the 3rd century A.D. The most famous of the monasteries, the Sanchi Stupa 1 was originally built by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century B.C. Stupa 1 has preponderating significance for the Buddhists because it contains some relics of the Buddha. The gateway to this Stupa is decorated with a series of finely carved scene depicting the life of the Buddha. Sarnath Sarnath is located close to Varanasi in the state of Uttar Pradesh. A museum in Sarnath houses several Buddhist icons as also the Ashoka Lion, India's national emblem after its independence. Both sanchi and Sarnath are important links in the chain of the Buddhist circuit. Bodh Gaya The holiest of holy pilgrim places for the Buddhists of holy pilgrims places for the Buddhists of the world, is well known for the architectural marvel depicated in the temples and stupas. The Mahabodhi Temple built on the east of the sacred tree stands majestically 170 feet high on a base 50 feet square, and consists of a soaring pyramidal tower surmounted by a stupa. The Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsang who came here in A.D. 637 gave a vivid description of the temple at that time, "The building is of blue tiles, covered with plaster, all the niches in the different storeys hold golden figures. The eastern face adjoins a single storey pavilion, its projecting caves, its pillars, beams, doors and windows are decorated with gold and silver ornamental work, with pearls and precious gems lit in to fill up the interstices". Nalanda Nalanda was in Buddha's time a lovely resort of Saints and ascetics. Lord Buddha visited Nalanda several times and delivered some important sermons. It emerged as a university in the 5th century A.D. and remained the greatest seat of learning for 700 years. The monasteries or Viharas lie on the east of this central alley and the temples or 'chaityas', to the west. There is an enormous pyramidal mass of Temple No. 3 surrounded by smaller stupas, studded with big and small statues of the Buddha. Bihar is studded around with a large number of stupas and other relics of old buildings and structures which would be of direct interest to scholars of Buddhism, architects, historians and the like. The Stupa was the earliest distinctly Buddhist structure. It developed from the mounds of earth and stones that were built over the remains of the Buddha. The word stupa is derived from Sanskrit root, stupa means "to heap". The transformation of a simple funerary mound into an ornamental structure and an object of veneration occurred in the centuries following the death of the Buddha. The form of architecture in constructing stupas, temples and monasteries had developed over centuries. But it is an exclusive art of construction which is the Buddhist contribution to the science of architecture. The earliest monasteries were built of wood, bamboo and mud. Gradually, stone came into use and by the start of the Christian era monks were carving cells out of rock to create rockcut monasteries in remote areas where they could live and meditate free from the distractions of city life. More Information and Travel Related Services | |
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