<h1 class="ql-align-center"><strong style="color: rgb(230, 0, 0);">Votive Stupa</strong></h1><p class="ql-align-center"><br></p><h3><strong>Context&nbsp;</strong></h3><ul><li class="ql-indent-1">Archeological Survey of India (ASI) has discovered <strong>two 1200-year-old miniature votive stupas during landscaping activities near Sarai Tila mound on the premises of ‘Nalanda Mahavihara’, </strong>a world heritage site in Nalanda district.</li><li class="ql-indent-1">The stupas, carved from stone, depict Buddha figures.</li></ul><h3><br></h3><h3><strong>Votive stupa:</strong></h3><ul><li class="ql-indent-1">These are forms of the stupas, with their<strong> distinctive domelike drum,</strong> originating in e<strong>ight cylindrical structures in which the Buddha's relics were placed after his death.</strong></li><li class="ql-indent-1">The stupa shape has become associated with the Buddhist goal of release from the cycles of suffering and rebirth.</li><li class="ql-indent-1">In addition to the drum, this stupa has a <strong>tiered base and is crowned with a series of stylized umbrellas </strong>that symbolize royalty and divine status.</li><li class="ql-indent-1">The larger ones at Bodhgaya were probably given by visiting kings, while smaller stupas such as this one were offered by monks and lay pilgrims.</li><li class="ql-indent-1">Beginning in the 7th century CE in India, small miniature terracotta stupas became popular as votive offerings.</li></ul><p><br></p><h3><strong>Stupa</strong></h3><ul><li class="ql-indent-1">It is a Buddhist commemorative monument usually housing sacred relics associated with the Buddha or other saintly persons.</li><li class="ql-indent-1">Sanchi Stupa is one of the most popular Buddhist Stupas in the world. It was commissioned during the time of Emperor Asoka.</li></ul><p><br></p><h3><strong>Nalanda Mahavihara:</strong></h3><ul><li class="ql-indent-1">It is a world heritage site in <strong>Bihar</strong>.&nbsp;</li><li class="ql-indent-1">The site comprises archaeological remains of a monastic and scholastic institution dating from the 3rd century BCE to the 13th century CE.</li><li class="ql-indent-1">The site includes stupas, shrines, viharas (residential and educational buildings) and important artworks in stucco, stone and metal.</li></ul><p class="ql-align-center"><br></p><h1 class="ql-align-center"><strong>PRELIMS NOTES:</strong><a href="https://sunyaias.in/notes/prelims-2023" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 102, 204);"><strong>CLICK HERE</strong></a></h1>