The Stupa's Relation to the Cave Shrines of Xiangtangshan

The Stupa's Relation to the Cave Shrines of Xiangtangshan

In Buddhism, a stupa is a spiritual monument which portrays the Buddha's body and depicts the Buddha's path towards enlightenment. A stupa discussed in class is the Stupa of Sanchi which was originally built from 272-231 BC under Ashoka and later rebuilt in the 1st century, BC. All stupas are similar in their function, symbolism and style. The context of the stupa of Sanchi generally is in an isolated area, this may be because it is a spiritual monument which is only used for religious purposes. The approach to the Sanchi stupa attracts focus to the gateway which reflects Buddhist art. The gateways were not the only portion of the stupa that depicted Buddhist art, rather the entire stupa was covered in Buddhist depictions. This leads to the function of the stupa; originally the stupa served as a burial complex where bodily remains were divided and stored. Although the function of the stupa no longer is to hold bodily remains, it serves as a monument for its symbolic qualities toward Buddhist culture; for example Buddhist art represents salient aspects of Buddha in various lives. The form of the stupa is large in size with a hemisphere base and various added shapes on top. The stupas meaning is to serve as a symbol of worship, enlightenment and a connection to Buddha. Another Buddhist site discussed in class is the Ajanta Caves which was constructed from 462-500 A.D. These caves have a hall that contains a stupa which is similar in purpose and design as the one mentioned in Sanchi. A more important aspect of the Ajanta Caves is the exterior. The caves were located on the face of a mountain-like form, there were several openings along the face of this stone which added up to resemble the facade of the cave shrines of Xiangtangshan. The cave temple of Xiangtangshan was constructed under Northern Qi Dynasty and is related to the Ajanta Caves in appearance and also shares the concept of stupas. Based on an article from the University of Chicago, the caves were designed architecturally as stupas. Stupas usually have bodily remains placed in them and the Caves of Xiangtangshan had sculptures which were missing body parts; this reflects an important concept of Buddhism and correlates with the function of a stupa. The function of the Xiangtangshan caves is also connected to the function of stupas. Referring back to my visit to the Study of the Ancient World exhibit, there were several artifacts and Buddhist scriptures. These scriptures also known as sutras were texts of Buddha's teachings. The Caves of Xiangtangshan were filled with several artifacts ranging from sculptures to scriptures which reflected episodes of Buddha's life similar to the function of the other stupas we have discussed in class; the Sanchi and Ajanta stupas. Architecturally, the cave shares similar characteristics in the approach and massing compared to the Ajanta