stupa

American  

[stoo-puh] / ˈstu pə /

noun

1. a monumental pile of earth or other material, in memory of Buddha or a Buddhist saint, and commemorating some event or marking a sacred spot.

---

stupa British  

/ ˈstuːpə /

noun

1. Also called: tope.  a domed edifice housing Buddhist or Jain relics

---

Etymology

Origin of stupa

First recorded in 1875–80, stupa is from the Sanskrit word stūpa

Explanation

A stupa is a Buddhist shrine used for meditation. Stupas are mounded or dome-shaped, and always include a path around the outside used for meditative walking. The Sanskrit root of stupa means "heap," and the oldest of these religious buildings resemble a heap of earth. Later versions were made of stone, smoothly domed and often ornately decorated. The stupa holds particular importance in Buddhism, as the cremated remains of the Buddha himself are said to be spread among eight stupas in South Asia.

Example Sentences

A devotee knelt and gently touched his head on the dome of the Boudhanath Stupa, an iconic Buddhist monument in Kathmandu, as a mark of reverence on Thursday, which marks the birth of Buddha.

From Seattle Times • May 23, 2024

The Boudhanath Stupa, which suffered minor earthquake damage, is surrounded by neighborhoods filled with Tibetan Buddhist exiles.

From Washington Post • Aug. 30, 2018

Buddhist pilgrims and tourists visit the Boudhanath Stupa, as a rainbow stretches over the horizon, in Kathmandu on Sept. 9, 2010.

From Slate • Apr. 25, 2016

A couple looks towards the Kathmandu Valley from the Swayambhunath Stupa, an ancient religious complex atop a hill in Kathmandu, Nepal.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 28, 2013

Restio, 1. contorquet Funes, 2. è Stupa, 4. vel Cannabi, quam circumdat sibi agitatione Rotulæ, 3.

From The Orbis Pictus by Hoole, Charles