Previous Year Question
With reference to ancient India, consider the following statements:
The concept of Stupa is Buddhist in origin.
Stupa was generally a repository of relics.
Stupa was a votive and commemorative structure in Buddhist tradition.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
Correct Answer: B
Detailed Solution
Statement 1 is incorrect: The stupa did not originate with Buddhism. Its tradition is traced to pre-Buddhist funerary or burial mounds. Buddhism later adopted this form and gave it a distinct religious and architectural character.
Statement 2 is correct: Buddhist stupas generally enshrined the bodily relics of the Buddha or revered monks. Such relics were usually placed in a reliquary and deposited within the principal part of the stupa.
Statement 3 is correct: In the Buddhist tradition, stupas served both votive and commemorative purposes. Votive stupas were commissioned as acts of devotion, merit-making or religious offering, while commemorative stupas were associated with sacred persons, events or places.
The principal architectural components of a stupa included the hemispherical anda, the harmika and chhatra above it, the surrounding vedika, ornamental toranas, and a pradakshinapatha for circumambulation.