The Mahastupa or Great Stupa, built in the 1st century scat Sanchi in central India, is the largest among several stupas and temples of varying sizes. A century later, it was enlarged to nearly twice its size. It now stands 36 meters in diameter and 16.5 meters in height. Its four toranas, each 8.5 meters high, were originally made of wood. The stone replicas were added later. The pradak-shina patha is divided into two, with an outer patha at ground level, defined by a massive unadorned stone vedika, and a staircase or so-pana. This leads directly to the inner patha, raised on a drum, which encircles the anda (dome) of the stupa.

      Thus, the stupa itself gradually became an object of veneration and worship. A solid structure, with no means to enter it, unlike other funerary monuments such as the pyramids of Egypt, the stupa has its own intricate and complex iconography and philosophy of form.

      Elements of the Stupa

      The hemispherical dome of the stupa, known as the anda, stands for the dome of heaven. The circular plan is symbolic of the wheel, as a regulator of cosmic time, as also a representation of the lotus. The central cosmic axis is emphasised by a finial, usually in the shape of a flat disk called a chhattri or umbrella. The chhattri is also an expression of honor to the Buddha, signifying protection and representing the Bodhi Tree. It is supported on a mast known as the yasti. Sometimes a series of chhattris, the whole known as the chattravali, defines the apex of the stupa. A square railing near the summit, called the harmika, defines the space taken up, according to the plan, by the holy relic buried within the stupa.

      An integral part of the Buddhist ritual of worship is to walk clockwise around the stupa with the right shoulder turned toward it as a mark of reverence. This circumambulation is meant to be a re-enactment of the rotational movement of celestial bodies, and also indicative of time in its cosmic sense. The paved path around the base of the stupa where this takes place is called the pradakshina patha, and this is enclosed by a fence or balustrade called the vedika. Sometimes the stupa has more than one pradakshina patha. The upper pradakshina patha is reached by a stone staircase called the sopana. Elaborate gateways called torana mark the four cardinal points at the corners of the vedika. The stupa is built of earth with an outer covering made of non-perishable material such as brick or brick-like stone. The vedika, harmika and chhattri are made of stone. The earliest stupas relied on austere simplicity and massive size to inspire awe, while later examples are intricately carved.