Buddhist architecture
Buddhist architecture is the architectural style that adheres to the philosophy and religious practices of Buddhism. The origins of Buddhism date back to the 5th century BCE in the Indian subcontinent. Buddhist architectural forms were developed to serve monastic, ritual, and commemorative functions. Distinctive features such as stupas, vihāras, and chaityas are often seen in Buddhist temples.
As Buddhism spread throughout and beyond South Asia, its architectural traditions evolved and diversified, leading to a wide range of regional adaptations across Southeast Asia and East Asia. It has been argued that certain stylistic features of Buddhist architecture, particularly the stupa, may have been influenced by elements from Hindu temple architecture, such as the shikhara. Over time, these forms evolved into the pagoda, a prominent architectural feature seen throughout the Indosphere and East Asia
Early development in India
Three types of structures are associated with the architecture style of early Buddhism: monasteries, places to venerate relics, and shrines or prayer halls, which later came to be called temples in some places.A characteristic new development at Buddhist religious sites was the stupa. The initial function of a stupa was the veneration and safe-guarding of the relics of Gautama Buddha. The earliest archaeologically known example of a stupa is the Relic Stupa of Vaishali located in Bihar, India. In accordance with changes in religious practice, stupas were gradually incorporated into chaitya-grihas. These are exemplified by the complexes of the Ajanta Caves and the Ellora Caves. The Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya in Bihar, India is another well-known example.
One of the earliest Buddhist sites still in existence is at Sanchi, India, and this is centred on a stupa said to have been built by King Ashoka. The original simple structure is encased in a later, more decorative one, and over two centuries the whole site was elaborated upon. The four cardinal points are marked by elaborate stone gateways.
As with Buddhist art, architecture followed the spread of Buddhism throughout south and east Asia and it was the early Indian models that served as a first reference point, even though Buddhism virtually disappeared from India itself in the 10th century.
Decoration of Buddhist sites became steadily more elaborate through the last two centuries BCE, with the introduction of tablets and friezes, including human figures, particularly on stupas. However, the Buddha was not represented in human form until the 1st century CE. Instead, aniconic symbols were used. This is treated in more detail in Buddhist art, Aniconic phase. It influenced the development of temples, which eventually became a backdrop for Buddha images in most cases.
As Buddhism spread, Buddhist architecture diverged in style, reflecting the similar trends in Buddhist art. Building form was also influenced to some extent by the different forms of Buddhism in the northern countries, practising Mahayana Buddhism in the main and in the south where Theravada Buddhism prevailed.
Regional Buddhist architecture
China
When Buddhism came to China, Buddhist architecture came along with it. There were many monasteries built, equaling about 45,000. These monasteries were filled with examples of Buddhist architecture, and because of this, they hold a very prominent place in Chinese architecture. One of the earliest surviving example is the brick pagoda at the Songyue Monastery in Dengfeng County.Indonesia
Buddhism and Hinduism reached the Indonesian archipelago in the early first millennia. The oldest surviving temple structure inJava is Batujaya temples in Karawang, West Java, dated as early as 5th century. The temple was a Buddhist sites, as evidence of the discovered Buddhist votive tablets, and the brick stupa structure.
The apogee of ancient Indonesian Buddhist art and architecture was the era of Javanese Shailendra dynasty that ruled the Mataram kingdom in Central Java circa 8th to 9th century CE. The most remarkable example is the 9th century Borobudur, a massive stupa that took form of an elaborate stepped pyramid that took plan of stone mandala. The walls and balustrades are decorated with exquisite bas reliefs, covering a total surface area of 2,500 square metres. Around the circular platforms are 72 openwork stupas, each containing a statue of the Buddha.
Borobudur is recognised as the largest Buddhist temple in the world.
Thailand
In Thailand, Buddhist temples are known as wats, from the Pāḷi vāṭa, meaning "enclosure." A wat usually consists of two parts: the Phutthawat and the Sangkhawat.Thai Buddhist temples usually contains golden chedi in the form of a bell-shaped stupa tower covered with gold leaf, containing a relic chamber. Another typical feature is Prang tower in the top center of the Buddhist temple structure. Thai Buddhist temples consists of several structures, including Ubosot, Wihan, Mondop, Ho trai, and Sala, Ho rakhang, and other supporting buildings.
All of those temple structures display multiple roof tiers. The use of ornamented tiers is reserved for roofs on temples, palaces and important buildings. Two or three tiers are most often used, but some royal temples have four.
Japan
After Buddhism arrived from the continent via the Three Kingdoms of Korea in the 6th century, an effort was initially made to reproduce the original buildings as faithfully as possible, but gradually local versions of continental styles were developed both to meet Japanese tastes and to solve problems posed by local weather, which is more rainy and humid than in China. The first Buddhist sects were Nara's six Nanto Rokushū, followed during the Heian period by Kyoto's Shingon and Tendai. Later, during the Kamakura period, in Kamakura were born the Jōdo and the native Japanese sect Nichiren-shū. At roughly the same time, Zen Buddhism arrived from China, strongly influencing all other sects in many ways, including in architecture.Stylistically, Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines share common characteristics under the Japanese philosophy of Shinbutsu-shūgō. However during the Meiji Restoration, Emperor Meiji established Shinbutsu bunri which was a separation of the native Japanese religion of Shinto from Buddhism. It was common for a Buddhist temple to be built inside or next to a shrine, or for a shrine to include Buddhist sub-temples. If a shrine housed a Buddhist temple, it was called a jingū-ji. Analogously, temples all over Japan used to adopt tutelary kami After the forcible separation of temples and shrines ordered by the new government, the connection between the two religions was officially severed, however is culturally unpopular with Shinbutsu-shūgō being in practice and is still visible today.
Hawaii
Many of the Buddhist temples in Hawaii have an architectural style which is specific to the islands. Japanese immigrants who migrated to Hawaii did not have access to the same materials they would have in Japan, and the land structure called for different building techniques. Because these Japanese immigrants had all the knowledge of Buddhism and were exceptional craftsmen, these temples ended up being a good personification of their religion.There are 5 styles of architecture that can be found in the Buddhist temples of Hawaii. The styles vary because of the time periods they were used in.