stupa
Americannoun
noun
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.
Vocabulary lists containing stupa
Chapter 9: Ancient India
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History of India - Introductory
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Early Civilizations of India, Lessons 5–7
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In 1898, William Claxton Peppé, an English estate manager, excavated a stupa at Piprahwa, just south of Lumbini, where the Buddha is believed to have been born.
From BBC ● May 3, 2025
“I pray day and night and light candles at Boudhanath stupa for his well-being when he remains away from home,” his wife, Lakpa Jangmu, said, referring to a Buddhist shrine in Kathmandu.
From New York Times ● May 7, 2023
The stupa at Mohenjo-Daro, located in present-day Pakistan, was built circa 2500 BCE.
From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023
At Long Beach’s first Sankranta festival to celebrate the Cambodian new year, people knelt and prayed at a mound of sand called a stupa, decorated with bright yellow flowers to honor ancestors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2023
A chorten is a religious monument, usually made of rock and often containing sacred relics; it is also called a stupa.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
