Buddhist religious architecture developed in the Indian subcontinent. Three types of structures are associated with the religious architecture of early Buddhism: monasteries (viharas), places to venerate relics (stupas), and shrines or prayer halls (chaityas, also called chaitya grihas), which later came to be called temples in some places.
The initial function of a stupa was the veneration and safe-guarding of the relics of Gautama Buddha. The earliest archaeologically known example of a stupa is the Relic Stupa of Vaishali located in Bihar, India.[1][2] In accordance with changes in religious practice, stupas were gradually incorporated into chaitya-grihas (prayer halls). These are exemplified by the complexes of the Ajanta Caves and the Ellora Caves. The Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya in Bihar, India is another well-known example.
It is argued that stylistic aspects seen on Buddhist architecture like the strupa may have been influenced by shikharas seen on Hindu temple architecture, a stylistic element which has evolved to pagodas which are seen throughout Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam
- ^ Fogelin, Lars (2015). An Archaeological History of Indian Buddhism. Oxford University Press. p. 85. ISBN 9780199948239.
- ^ Lahiri, Nayanjot (2015). Ashoka in Ancient India. Harvard University Press. pp. 246–247. ISBN 9780674057777.