Famous Temples in India

Architecture

Stupas in Buddhism refer to a dome-like structure that houses the relics of Buddhist monks and nuns. In fact, some old Stupas of ancient India still have the remains of Buddha at its very core. This Buddhist shrine or prayer hall was built with stupa at one end made for a large gathering of devotees Made in rock-cut due to permanency of structure Chaityas was influenced by the ascetic lifestyle of Vedic period and the tendency of hermits to retire in solitude. Accommodates Stupa with Apsidal Plan with no division between nave and chaitya i.e space for congregational service not clearly defined with Vaulted hall or Colonnades Side aisles. The stupa evolved from being a funerary mound carrying object of worship to a sacral value. The building needed to accommodate copies of the stupa and provide shelter. A structural house for religious rites, Birth of temples with idol worship. The building had an almost circular plan and a domed roof. Wooden construction inspired from the Vedic period imitated in natural rock Supplemented with wooden surfaces for e.g.. Screens etc. (half-timber construction) Shows similarities to the Roman concept of column and arch, but no evidence of any relation.

Rectangular halls with finely polished interior walls well-proportioned pillars with capitals(around 35) Semi circular roof. Pillar had three parts as prop, base buried in-ground and shaft Stupa at the end Extensive use of motifs, decorative and symbolic can be observed. Quadrangular court for gathering surrounded by small cells. The front wall incorporated a shrine for an image of Buddha. Cells had rock cut platforms for beds, Viharas were not alike in design. Doorways are on sides of the walls of the main hall. Rock-cut architecture basically aped wooden construction down to joinery details. Hardly structural In brick, corbelled arches are used, and very large bricks to for large span, motifs are used floral patterns animals (used throughout the kingdom). The design of its structure testifies to its ancient historic character. The stupa is built on a mound standing opposite the Kushinagar-Deoria road. It is built with bricks with its circular base of 47.24 m, the stupa rises to a height of 14.9 m. Its drum-like top has a diameter of 34.14 m. It is situated on the agricultural land having rice, sugarcane, and wheat fields. There is also a pond-like water body close to it.