A stupa is a reliquary containing the remains (relics) of an individual associated with great spiritual power and insight, most often (since the 3rd century BCE) with the Buddha (l. c. 563 - c. 483 BCE). The form, a hemisphere topped by a spire and surrounded by a gate and walkway, originated in India during the reign of the Mauryan king Ashoka the Great (268-232 BCE). Prior to the time of the Buddha, stupas were associated with ascetics, saints, or teachers of Hinduism but the Buddha requested that, when he died, his ashes be interred in a stupa located at a crossroads. His followers, instead, divided his remains and built eight (or ten) stupas in various places throughout India corresponding to important events in Buddha's life.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original article at https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1594/ten-great-stupas-from-around-the-world/.
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