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Buddhist Temples – Visiting a Stupa
Buddhism is a religion with a long history that has spawned many beautiful traditions, amazing art, as well as breathtaking architecture. Quite possibly the most well known form of Buddhist temples is the stupa – a term that refers to a building marked for its utter simplicity. In the early days of Buddhism, a stupa was usually crafted from that which the earth yielded, such as clay, mud, or tight fitting rocks. It is supposed to be a shrine containing the relics of the Buddha or a portion of his ashes. As a matter fact, originally only ten stupas were built!
These days there are so many more Buddhist temples and stupas, and the knowledge of the location of the original ten stupas was lost. Over time, stupas changes in character from being simply depositories of relics to actually being Buddhist temples where the faithful can gather for prayer and worship. One of the most famous stupas is located in Borobudur, Indonesia. A far cry from the originally humble mounds of clay, mud, or rocks, the Borobudur stupa is actually a considered the largest Buddhist temple on earth! As such, it is the destination of choice for many tourists.
With its eight levels, and intricate structural idiosyncrasies, this is a jewel amongst Buddhist temples, and it is no small wonder that Indonesia is proud of this stupa! What makes it even more fascinating is the fact that the Borobudur stupa was hidden under piles of volcanic ash for hundreds of years.
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