Motilal Banarsidass

Evolution of Stupas in Burma: Pagan Period: 11th to 13th Centuries A.D.)

This work is the outcome of painstaking research on the evolution of stupas in Burma, Pagan Period, 11th to 13th centuries a.d. Burma known as the land of pagodas is nowhere so rich in the number of pagodas as in Pagan. The stupendous vastness of the ruins reminiscent of the glory that was of Pagan

in its heyday inspired this study. The evolution traced back to the beginning of the stupa structure in India, deals with the various architectural phases (duly illustrated) it passed through ending with the final stage in the Rhwedagum Pagoda in Rangoon (Burma). Apart from the material side of the study, there is the need of looking into the aesthetic and spiritual side of the evolution. That religious architecture is a barometer of the material prosperity and social outlook of the people,

besides being the handmaid of the spiritual aspirations of the devotees, is amply discernible in this study.

The value of the art survey in this work is further enhanced by the inclusion of over 138 photographs. Moreover, besides the magnificent Pagan art, it gives a comparative view of the religious architectual development in the Asian countries contemporaneous with the Pagan Period.

Stupa and Its Technology: A Tibeto-Buddhist Perspective

Among all the religious monuments of the world, the stupa has the longest

uninterrupted historical development. Though modelled after the Indian

prototype, the stupa architecture was developed in all the countries where

Buddhism had flourished. Over time, the structural shape of the stupa

underwent significant modifications in India and the other Asian Buddhist

countries.

The present study shows how Tibet became a treasure house of Buddhist

culture and literature–highlighting important texts dealing with stupa

architecture. Various ritual activities associated with the construction of

the stupa are described along with the eight fundamental types of

Tibeto-Buddhist stupas and their main structural components. A survey of

the stupas found in the upper Indus Valley in the Leh region of Ladakh

shows their similarity to the Tibeto-Buddhist tradition. The value of the

book is enhanced by an appendix with English translation of four important

Tibetan texts preceded by transliteration.

This monograph is the first in the new sub-series of the IGNCA on the

Buddhist stupas, which would not be restricted to India alone. It is hoped

that such studies will enable the art-historians and archaeologists to

understand this important structural form in totality in relation to its

wide geographical spread and the distinctive features of particular

developments in different countries.