CHAITYA , VIHARA

&
STUPA
INTRODUCTION

• BUDDHIST ARCHITECTURE IS MAINLY CONSIST

OF CHAITYAS, VIHARAS, STUPAS & STAMBHAS.
• MAJOR PART OF BUDDHIST ARCHITETURE IS
STUPA
• LORD BUDDHA,(563 B.C 488 B.C) DIDN’T
BELIVE IN IDOL WORSHIP
• THEIR DECIPLINES NEEDED SOMETHING TO
WORSHIP OR PRAISE.SO AFTER HIS DEATH HIS
MORTAL REMAINS LIKE TOOTH, HAIR, NAIL,
ETC. WERE SENT IN SOME EIGHT CITIES &
THEY WERE PRESERVED BY BURYING THEM
UNDER THE HEAP OF MUD OR BRICK WHICH
WERE CALLED AS “ STUPA ”
CHAITYA
THE PRAYER HALL
OR BUDDHIST
TEMPLE & USUALLY
REFFERED TO AS
THE CHAITYA HALL

CHAITYAS ARE THE

HALLS ENCLOSING
THE STUPAS.

A CHAITYA-GRIHA BUDDHIST CAVE (STUPA HALL) IS A MEETING

OR ASSEMBLY CHAMBER OFTEN USED FOR PURPOSES SIMILAR TO
A STUPA.
ARCHITECTURALLY THEY SHOW SIMILARITIES TO ROMAN
DESIGN CONCEPTS OF COLUMN AND ARCH.
A LARGE HORSESHOE-SHAPED
WINDOW, THE CHAITYA-WINDOW,
WAS SET ABOVE THE ARCHED
DOORWAY.

THE WHOLE PORTICO-AREA WAS

CARVED TO IMITATE A MULTI-
STOREYED BUILDING WITH
BALCONIES AND WINDOWS.

THE COLUMNS SLOPED INWARDS

IN THE IMITATION OF WOODEN
COLUMNS THAT WOULD HAVE
BEEN STRUCTURALLY NECESSARY
TO KEEP A ROOF UP. HORSESHOE-
SHAPED
WINDOW
VIHARA

•AN ARRANGEMENS
OF THE
APPARTMENTS FOR
THE ACCOMODATION
OF THE MONKS ARE
KNOWN AS VIHARAS.
• SQUARE CENTRAL
HALL ENTERED BY A
DOORWAY, IN FRONT
OF WHICH WAS A
VERANDAH OR
PORTICO.
STUPA
• STUPA IS MOUND OF THE EARTH ENCLOSING A RELIC
CAN BE COMPARED WITH THE MASSIVE FORM OF THE
GREAT PYRAMIDS OF EGYPT

• THEY ALSO CALLED AS THUPPA IN PALI, DAGABA IN

SIMBALI, TOPE IN ENGLISH & DHATUGRABH IN SANSKRIT.
(DHATUGRABH=RELICS PRESERVED IN VESSEL)

• CLASSIFIED INTO THREE TYPES

1. SARIKA STUPA
2. PARIBHOJIKA STUPA
3. UDDESHIKA STUPA

• THE STUPA WAS PART OF A

COMPLEX OF RELIGIOUS
BUILDINGS.
AMARAVATI STUPA
KNOWN AS MAHA
CHAITYA STUPA

 LOCATION :
AMARAVATI, ANDHRA
PRADESH, INDIA

 STYLE :
SATAVAHANA DYNASTY

 CREATION TIME : 2ND CENTURY B.CE

 DISCOVERED BY : A BRITISH ARCHAEOLOGIST,

COLONEL
COLIN MACKENZIE IN 1797.
• AMARAVATI IS FAMED FOR ITS GREAT STUPA LARGER THAN
THE ONE AT SANCHI.

• LOCALLY CALLED, THE ‘MAHASTUPA’ AND IS ALSO KNOWN AS

'MOUND OF LAMPS‘

• THE PERFECT PROPORTIONS OF THE BUDDHA’S BODY

CORRESPONDS TO THE DESIGN OF RELIGIOUS MONUMENTS.

• THESE DOME SHAPE REGARDED AS HOLY PLACES.

•THE STUPA IS 95 FT. HIGH.
 
• IT WAS A BRICK BUILT
CIRCULAR ‘VEDICA’ AND
PLATFORMS PROJECTING IN
FOUR CARDINAL DIRECTIONS.

• IT IS 6 FT. HIGH AND IS

MADE OF MARBLE.

• CARVED RAILINGS SEEM TO

HAVE BEEN ERECTED AROUND
A BRICK-CORED CHAITYA OR
TEMPLE.

• THE DOME HAS A DRUM

WHICH IS 192 FEET DIA. WITH
AN OUTER RAILING.  
STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS OF STUPA
PLAN HARMIKA

ANDA

MEDHI
UPPER
PRADAKSHINA
PATH

LOWER
PRADAKSHINA
PATH
• THE ENTRANCE OF AMRAVATI STUPA IS DIRECT AS COMPARED TO
SACHI AS SHOWN IN FIGURE

• THERE WERE NO TORANS IN AMRAVATI STUPA

• THE LOWER PRADIKSHNA PATH IS 11 FEET 3 INCH WIDE &
PAVED WITH THE SLAB OF GREY LIMESTONE
• STAMBHAS ARE
DECORATED BY THE
FIGURES OF LIONS

• RAILING AT ENTRANCE
ARE OF 25 FEET WIDE

• IN THE RAILING OF THE

UPPER PRADAKSHINA
PATH THE BALUSTERS
WERE DECORATED WITH
THE MARBLE PANALS

BALUSTERS
•A SQUARE SHAPE HARMIKA ENCLOSING THE CHHATRAVALLI
/ UMBRELLA IS DIFFERENT FROM THE SACHI STUPA

•THIS STUPA DOES NOT EXIST ANYMORE BUT SOME OF THE

RELICS ARE KEPT AT VARIOUS MUSEUME IN INDIA &
BRITAIN.
•MAD ELEPHANT CHARGING
•LIMESTONE PANEL
BUDDHA ON LEFT, BOWING
DEPICTING THE
DOWN TO BUDDHA ON RIGHT.
‘BUDDHAPADA’
DETAIL FROM THE PILLER FACE

•THE INSCRIPTION ON THE PILLAR IS WRITTEN IN THE

‘PRAKRIT’ LANGUAGE USING THE BRAHMI SCRIPT.