by Nancy Houser

Created on: July 11, 2011

According to the 1998 International Symposium on Design & Development of Buddhist Architecture (Symposium), Ashoka the Great or Bhash, gave birth to the first examples of Buddhist Architecture. His massive empire played a dynamic role in providing Buddhist architectural records of his trials and conquests throughout India and neighboring countries. The most distinctive types of Buddhist architectural sculptures and structures were stupas, chaityas, vihara, temples and monasteries, and caves.

The Maury Dynasty

Ashoka’s Maurya Dynasty consisted of present-day Pakistan and Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Assam, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh. With 5,000,000 sq km, the Mauryan dynasty was the largest empire in the world during that time. From 321 to 185 BC, Ashoka’s empire grew because of his massive takeover when Alexander the Great’s Greek and Persian armies withdrew from the area. The headquarters of his empire was in Magadha, or present day Bihar, India.

Ashoka encompassed Buddhism after witnessing massive killings in the violent war of Kalinga. From that moment on, he dedicated his life to the propagation of Buddhism across the Asian continent. Because of Ashoka and his empire, the history and development of Buddhist Architecture has developed from a growing culture and religion of Buddhism. Throughout India, Ashoka carved inscriptions on rocks and pillars, allowing humankind to trace his Buddhist path in life.

“I have enforced the law against killing certain animals and many others, but the greatest progress of righteousness among men comes from the exhortation in favor of non-injury to life and abstention from killing living beings.” (Quote)

The legacy of Ashoka the Great

The Buddhist missionary son of Ashoka, Venerable Rahul, established Buddhism on the island of Ceylon, now called Sri Lanka. He built thousands of stupas and viharas for religious followers, with the Stupas of Sanchi becoming world famous.

Buddhist architecture in Sri Lanka has been associated with the spread of Buddhism in India, with the earliest architectural form the Stumba, or pillar. Other early architectural forms are the Stupa, the Watadage, the Vihara and the Chaitya. Sri Lanka’s Buddhist Architecture is dated from the study of architecture and architectural design, tracing the history and development of the island’s Buddhist architecture for over 2,500 years:  

1. Mahawansa – a chronological account of the Kings of Ceylon

2. Epigraphical

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