The Great Stupa And The Kandariya Mahadeva

One of the transformations that Buddhism had was in the representative structures, like statues of the Buddha or temples that marked the religion in that area. From the picture shown is a bell-shaped stupas at Borobudur, which represents the large influence that Buddhism had on Indonesia (Doc 2) Considering that there are multiple similar structures and they are spread over an extensive area, it must have been an important concept to this society. As seen in another photo, Buddhism

Las Posadas is Spanish for “The Inns”, and it is a religious festival celebrated across Mexico and some parts of the United States. It is held between December 16 and 24, and lasts for nine evenings. The Posada begins with the recitation of the Holy Rosary, a beautiful prayer to the Mother of Jesus, Mary. It finally ends with the Posada and Midnight Mass on December 24th. It commemorates the journey that Joseph and Mary made from Nazareth to Bethlehem in search of a location where Mary could give birth. When they weren't able to find lodging in Bethlehem, Joseph and Mary were forced to seek shelter in a stable, where Jesus was born. The tradition of the Posadas was brought to Mexico from Spain in the 1500's by Catholic Missionaries, and are not to be confused with simply a Christmas party. Instead, the Posadas should be seen as a religious event.

The distance required to convert to Buddhism was greatly decreased and this allowed for more people to join. This greatly appealed to the diverse peoples outside of India. One way that Buddhism spread throughout the world was along the Silk Roads. “In addition to silk traders, monks traveled along Afro-Eurasian trade arteries to spread the word of new religions.2 Buddhism traveled from India to China and central Asia, following the Silk Roads. The transmission of the ideas of Buddhism to China and other eastward areas was aided by translated Buddhist texts and converts. A Buddhist Manuscript of the Great Dagoba (Doc A) exemplifies the way that these ideas were transmitted in the early days of Buddhism. This document suggests that monasteries and stupas, a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing Buddhist relics3, played a major role in the spread of Buddhism in the east Asia because of the creation of texts such as these. Art found from the central area of India is called Mathuran art. This Mathuran art evolved from the carved idols of South Asian folk gods and goddesses. Another example of the importance of temples to Buddhism is shown on an Indian Temple relief. The relief describes the propitious alignment of the heavenly bodies on the day that the temple was founded. This is important because it means that the native peoples

Located at the Horyu-ji temple, the Shaka Triad, also known as the Shaka Trinity, stands 3.82 meters high from the base of the pedestal to the tip of the mandorla. The stature was created out of gilded bronze in several pieces before being put together, and consists of the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, bordered by two bodhisattvas. Each bodhisattva is 0.91 m high, while the central figure, measures out to be 0.86 m. The three figures are situated on a wooden pedestal, backed by a bronze mandorla, decorated with smaller seated Buddha’s cast in relief. The sculpture has been beautifully preserved, although the gilding on the bodhisattvas has become slightly blackened.

In the article “Ritual and Presentation in Early Buddhist Religious Architecture” by Lars Fogelin, the readers are introduced to Buddhism and ritual which include the stupas. Stupas were build according to Buddha’s dying wish, his reason for doing so was “indented for the laity who, with their poorer grasp of Buddhism principles, required the aid of direct worship to ease them toward the path to enlightenment” (Forgelin, pg. 3). The argument that Forgelin brings up is that the designers had to accommodate the needs of Buddhist worshipers “while attempting to provide mechanisms to foster group cohesion”(Forgelin, pg.1), which is shown in the open-air and rock-cut stupas. Forgelin’s thesis stated he will address the main topic by first presenting Buddhist’s goal and how to attain this goal referred to as nirvana, then who are the three principal groups who practice their rituals at a stupid, and how the designers had to incorporate the different styles of practice into the design of the stupas.

In this essay, I intend to compare and contrast two major religions, Hinduism and Buddhism, that came out of India thousands of years ago. Though these two religions are old, they are still practiced today by millions of followers within the continent of Asia and the West.

Since their destruction, the international community has risen up in protest, and endless discussions on its reconstruction have been hashed out as further studies are done on the remains. The interaction with religious ideology complicates and stigmatizes the situation, causing many discussions to go nowhere. The Bamiyan Buddhas hold significant cultural value, providing not only a religious sanctuary for many, but also by attracting travelers with their beauty. By leaving the niches empty, we risk the well-being of the Bamiyan Valley, as well as a loss of a key part of history. In restoring the Buddhas, the international community can also see it as a restoration of the Bamiyan Valley

“Amida Buddha” (Figure 1) is a bronze figure created during the Kamakura Period, dated 1185-1333. The work is a figurative representation of Amida, who was highly worshipped during the Kamakura Period. The figure “Amida Buddha” is currently on exhibition at the Kimbell Art Museum (2018) in Fort Worth, Texas as part of the Sam and Myrna Myers Collection, Lands of Asia Exhibition.

The Great Stupa at Sanchi was constructed around the third to first century BCE. The Great Stupa is a burial mound that is not a tomb but used to house relics of Buddha. Around the stupa is the fence with toranas that are intended to protect the remains of Buddha form the outside world. These fences are adorned with relief sculpture that tells of Buddha’s past lives. Buddhists will make pilgrimages to this location to further their walk to enlightenment. A visitor of the Great Stupa would enter through one the toranas, walk up the stairs, and then walk around the structure in a clockwise direction. This is called circumambulation and is supposed mimic the movement of the earth and the sun to bring the visitor in to harmony with the

Buddhism is the fourth largest religion on earth and is composed of three major traditions today; Theravada, Mahayana and Tibetan Buddhism (“Lecture 5”). The founder of Buddhism, known as Buddha, was a royal prince named Siddhartha Guatama from Northern India. Siddhartha’s father kept him closely confined inside of a large palace, with the intention of preventing him from taking up a religious life, so that he too would one day become a great king. However, one day while Siddhartha was outside of the palace, he observed four sights that would change his destiny forever. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the four sights experienced by Siddhartha Guatama, their significance and examine why they led him to seek religious

The ruins of the famous ancient Indian cities, Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro are world’s first models of urban town planning, of stone and brick architecture as defense against floods, and of sanitary engineering and drainage systems. Archeologists have found that these cities had several modernized fire-burnt brick buildings and structures, such as citadels, public baths, granaries, drainage systems, and high walls. The cities were organized in a grid pattern and were divided into two parts. The citadel that housed large public buildings like the public baths and temples was built on a raised ground while the rest of city that housed the granaries and workshops was built on a lower level. The city layout was organized according to the social groups of people in the ancient Indian civilizations: the ruling people resided in the citadel, the rich merchants lived in the lower city, and the labor class who worked in workshops resided in small houses down the city. Over time, the ancient Indians developed ideas about God and religion, and founded religions like Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism, all of which have millions of adherents even today. They also built temples like the Brihadeshwara temple. The ancient Indians were thus able to build an advanced urban

In this essay, I will compare and contrast two sacred spaces; Ise Jingu of Japan and the Great Stupa in India. First I will describe the sacred spaces and their artistic features, values and importance. Afterwards, will come the analysis comparing the two in architectural design and decisions, rather than the difference of religious belief or purpose.

The Buddha’s Eyes – especially on stupas – face in all four directions and symbolizes the omniscient mind of the Buddha.

Buddhism’s founder was a man named Siddhartha Gautama, meaning “one who realized his goal.” Buddhists believe that when Siddhartha’s mother, Maha, was conceived she had a dream involving a white elephant carrying a lotus flower. She interpreted the dream to mean that her son would grow up to become a great spiritual leader. Just a week after Siddhartha was born, his mother died. Upon her death, he lived with his wealthy aunt and his father on a large estate. As Siddhartha grew up, his father kept him away from all suffering and anguish of the world. Unlike many of his peers, he was well educated and free from the world’s sorrows.

The Great Stupa of Sanchi is located in Sanchi, which lies in central India. The Great Stupa follows the same basic structure blueprinted for all stupas. What makes this one so unique is that it stands fifty feet high and has two different levels that are designed to be circumambulated. There are four gates that the Buddhists enter