Q. Which of the following statements with regard to early Buddhist Stupas is/are correct?
1.A total of eight stupas were originally erected over the bodily relics of the Buddha following his cremation.
2.Stupa tradition was introduced into Indian architecture for the first time by Mauryan ruler Ashoka in the century BCE.
Select the answer using the code given below:
Answer: A
Notes:
Explanation:
- Statement 1 is correct: Following the cremation of Gautama Buddha at Kushinagar, his bodily relics (Saririka) were divided into eight portions and distributed among eight republican clans and kingdoms (such as the Mallas, Licchavis, and Shakya clan), who erected eight foundational relic stupas over them.
- Statement 2 is incorrect: The stupa tradition predates King Ashoka. Stupas existed during the pre-Mauryan Vedic and early Buddhist periods as earthen burial mounds. Ashoka popularized and expanded the tradition by opening the original stupas (except the Ramagrama stupa) and redistributing the relics into thousands of new stupas across his empire.
