India: Buddhist

Architecture
Jae Son Lee
Luke Montalbo

Content

Background
Life of Buddha
Emperor Ashoka

Geography

Geology

Society

Religion

Terminology

Architectural Character
Stupas
Viharas
Chaitya
Stambha

Buddhist Architecture

Implanted in the Indian Soil the birthplace

of Buddhas teachings

Began with the development of various

symbols, representing aspects of Buddhas
life

Architectural Monuments:

Monasteries (Vihara)

Places to venerate relics (Stupa)

Shrines or prayer halls (Chaitya)

Buddhism
Dharma right way of living
Siddhartha Gautama commonly
known as the Buddha
Approximately 350 million
Buddhist

Siddharta
Gautama
Born as a royal
prince about 563
BCE in Lumbini
(Northern India)
Buddha means the
awakened or the
enlightened one

Buddha
At 29 years old: Poverty,
misery, illness
Disconnected from his
materialistic life
Gave away all his
belongings and searched for
enlightenment through
abandonment of basic
needs
Starvation
Middle Path

Buddha

Bodhi Tree (Bodh Gaya)

After 40 days, reached Nirvana

Cycle of suffering

Attained Enlightenment, he became known by

the title of Buddha

Shared his experience to anyone who was

interested, regardless of gender or caste

Buddha
Died in 483 B.C.E., after 45 years of
travelling and teaching
He passed into a state of Nirvana ultimate
release from suffering in which the self no
longer exists and salvation is achieved
Last breaths (four words): STRIVE ON
WITH AWARENESS.

Geography

Emperor Ashoka

Kalinga war

Ahimsa path of nonviolence

Sri Lanka, Tibet, China, Japan

Geography

Climate
Though the Tropic of Cancerthe boundary
between the tropics and subtropicspasses
through the middle of India, the bulk of the
country can be regarded as climatically tropical.

Viharas have angled roofs to let water flow

during rainy seasons

Society

Buddhism developed a popular religion without any complicated,

elaborate and unintelligible rituals requiring necessarily a priestly
class.

Ethical code based on

Charity, Purity, Self sacrifice, Truthfulness and control over passions

It laid great emphasis on

love, equality and non violence

Man himself is the architect of his own destiny.

Promotion of social equality and social justice helped Buddhism to

cross the frontiers of Indian sub-continent and became a world
religion.

Religion

Buddhism is accomplished throughdirect understandingand the

perception ofdependent originationand theFour Noble Truths.

Ultimate goal: Nirvana

Eightfold path
TheNoble Eightfold Pathis one of the
principalteachingsofthe Buddha, who described it as the
way leading to the cessation of suffering and the achievement
of self-awakening. The attainment of Nirvana to ones self is
considered repeating cycle of birth, life and
death(reincarnation)

Religion
Buddhism has a lot of branches but to be formal the two major branches in Buddhism
are:TheravadaandMahayana.
The Three Trainings or Practices:

Sila:Virtue, good conduct, morality. This is based on two fundamental principles:

1. The principles of equality: that all living entities are equal
2. The principle of reprocity:to do onto others as you would wish them to doonto
you.

Samadhi:Concentration, meditation, mental development. Developing one's

mind is the path to wisdom which in turn leads to personal freedom. Mental
development also strengthens and controls our mind; this helps us maintain good
conduct.

Prajna:Discernment, insight, wisdom, enlightenment. This is the real heart of

Buddhism. Wisdom will emerge if your mind is pure and calm.

Religion
Buddha discovered Three Universal Truths and Four Noble Truths, which he
then taught to the people for the next 45 years.
Three Universal Truths

Everything in life is impermanent and always changing.

Because nothing is permanent, a life based on possessing things or persons
doesn't make you happy.
There is no eternal, unchanging soul and "self" is just a collection of changing
characteristics or attributes.

Four Noble Truths

Human life has a lot of suffering.

The cause of suffering is greed.
There is an end to suffering.
The way to end suffering is to follow the Middle Path.

Religion

Effects of Religion to
Architecture

The use of Square and Circle, the two purest

geometric form for monumental edifices

Images of Buddha

Quite and peaceful atmosphere

Terminology

Stupa - Astupais a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing

Buddhist relics, typically the ashes of Buddhist monks, used by Buddhists
as a place of meditation.

Chattra - A 3 tiered stone / wooden umbrella chhatrayasti raised over

pedestal which was the vedic alter of sacrifice and represented the village
shrine

Harmika - Top of dome is Harmika (Heaven of 33 gods) , square balcony in

decorative form enclosing a pedestal

Yasti - symbolizes theaxis mundi(a line through the earths center around
which the universe is thought to revolve).

Anda egg, orgarbha, womb) from which projects an umbrella

Vedika - Stupa is enclosed with a wooden / stone railing

Vihara A temple where Monks can rest

Architectural Character
A. Stupa
Stupas, also known as Relic Shrines, were built of stones or bricks to
commemorate important events or mark important places associated with
Buddhism or to house important relics of Buddha. Ashok Maurya who laid
the foundation of this group of monuments is said to have built 84,000
stupas, most of which have perished.
The best examples of stupas are those constructed at Amaravati, Sanchi,
Barhut and Gaya. "One of the most striking architectural remains of
ancient India" and the earliest and largest of the three stupas found in
Sanchi was built by Ashoka (273-236 B.C.)

Great Stupa, Sanchi

3rd Century BCE
Comissioned by Ashoka
the Great

Architectural Character
The Great stupa has a large hemispherical dome which is flat at the top,
and crowned by a triple umbrella or Chattra on a pedestal surrounded by
a square railing or Karmika. Buddha's relics were placed in a casket
chamber in the centre of the Dome. At the base of the dome is a high
circular terrace probably meant for parikrama or circumambulation and
an encircling balustrade. At the ground level is a stone-paved procession
path and another stone Balustrade and two flights of steps leading to the
circular terrace.
Access to it is through four exquisitely carved gateways or
Toranas in the North, South, East and West. The diameter of
the stupa is 36.60 metres and its height is 16.46 metres. It
is built of large burnt bricks and mud mortar. It is presumed
that the elaborately carved Toranas were built by ivory or
metal workers in the 1st.

Architectural Character
Ruwanweliseya Stupa

The Great Stupa at

Sanchi

Architectural Character

B. Viharas
Viharas or monasteries constructed with brick or excavated
from rocks are found in different parts of India. These cells
served as dwelling places for the monks. These monastic
buildings built of bricks were self-contained units and had a
Chaitya hall or Chaitya mandir attached to a stupa - the chief
object of worship.

Architectural Character
The excavations of Viharas at Nagarjunakonda show large
rectangular courtyards with stone-paved central halls. Around
the courtyard, the row of cells, small and big, suggest
residences and dining halls for monks.
Twenty-five of the rock-cut caves of Ajanta are Viharas and are
the finest of monasteries. Other caves were excavated during
the reign of the Vakataka rulers who were the contemporaries of
the Gupta Rulers.

Three
Storey
Vihara,

Viharas, Ajanta

Architectural Character

C. Chaityas
Chaitya grihas or halls of worship were built all over the country
either of brick or excavated from rocks. Ruins of a large number
of structural Buddhist chaity grihas are found in the eastern
districts of Andhra Pradesh, in valleys, near rivers and lakes. The
ruins located in the districts of Srikakulam at Salihundam, of
Visahkapatnam at Kotturu, of West Godavari at Guntapalli, of
Krishna at Vijayawada, of Guntur at Nagajunakonda and
Amaravati belong to the 3rd century BC and later. The largest
brick chaitya hall was excavated at Guntapalli

Architectural Character
D. Stambha
A Sarnath pillar is 15 m high . It also
has Four lions surmounting capital;
supporting metal wheel containing 24
spokes and called wheel of lane .The
wheel symbolizes first summon of
Buddha , which is also adopted as
national emblem of India . Sarnath
lion capital (restored) of monolithic
column showing buddhist symbols.

Architectural Character
Pillars of Ashoka

The lion
symbolises both
Ashoka's imperial
rule and the
kingship of the
Buddha.

Sources

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