Stupa, Dagoba, Chorten, or Pagoda?

The original purpose of a stupa (the Sanskrit name) was to house the mortal remains of the historical Buddha, and later of other key Buddhist saints. Stupas also served the purpose of commemorating key events in his life, being built at the place of his birth, death, first sermon, etc. Later still they were also used to house sacred texts and images, or simply existed as symbols or reminders, becoming sacred in their own right as supporting objects for meditation.

Originally a hemisphere topped by an umbrellaed spire (as still seen in Nepal), the stupa eventually developed different shapes in different cultures, including the flask shapes you can see at Tibetan monasteries and at the White Dagoba Temple in Běijīng — dagoba is Sinhala for stupa, and the Tibetan word is chorten.

By this stage of development, each part of the stupa, from the multiple levels of its now square plinth to the increased number of umbrellas or ridges on its spire, capped by a solar disk and crescent moon, has detailed symbolism. All Buddhist processions proceed in the direction of the sun, and reverence is shown to a stupa or its contents by processing around it in a clockwise manner (the way you should also proceed around Buddhist temples).

In China, Japan, and Korea the stupa developed into the pagoda, a four- or eight-cornered tower of wood or brick, still often with a spire or ridged roof of similar symbolism and doing the same job of housing relics or texts. Additionally, the pagoda was thought to have some kind of beneficial geomantic influence on its surroundings. Pagodas usually have an internal staircase, which makes you go clockwise as you climb, thus showing veneration as you ascend. The central pillar represents the Buddha and his position at the centre of the universe, and the passages or windows pointing towards the four points of the compass are associated with other individual Buddhas, and function as an aid to meditation.

The multiple storeys represent different worlds on the path to enlightenment, and the octagonal plan pagodas additionally suggest the eight spokes of the wheel of dharma, a key principle of Buddhism that what you do in one life affects what you are in the next.

Next in West of the Imperial City: Lǔ Xùn Museum
Previously: White Dagoba Temple
Main Index of A Better Guide to Beijing.

For discussion of China travel, see The Oriental-List.