(1877–1947) was of the view that they are celestial
nymphs or Apsaras. Senarat Paranavitana, however,
proposed that they symbolize the clouds (megha) and
lightning (vijju) surrounding Mount KAILAS ́A
(KAILASH). His theory was that the builder of Sigiriya
fortress, King Kas ́yapa, lived there as Kuvera, the god
of wealth in Hindu and Buddhist literature, who is sup-
posed to dwell at Alakamanda on Mount Kailas ́a. But
some evidence points in another direction. The ladies
holding flowers and accompanied by handmaidens ap-
pear to be popular motifs in art throughout west, cen-
tral, and south Asia prior to Sigiriya times. It is possible
that the Sigiriya paintings are an adaptation in a Sri
Lankan context of this internationally popular subject.
Given Sri Lanka’s flourishing role as a trade center con-
necting the eastern and western trade routes during the
fourth through sixth centuries, such a sharing of in-
ternational art motifs was quite possible.
See also:India, Buddhist Art in; Sri Lanka
Bibliography
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donesian Art. Leipzig, Germany: Hiersemann; London:
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Dover, 1985.
Coomaraswamy, Ananda Kentish. Mediaeval Sinhalese Art,2nd
edition. New York: Pantheon, 1956.
Paranavitana, Senarat. Sigiri Grafitti, Being Sinhalese Verses of
the Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Centuries,2 vols. London and
New York: Oxford University Press, 1956.
Paranavitana, Senarat. “Civilization of the Early Period: Reli-
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and Other Inscriptions in the Early BrahmlScript.Colombo,
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Priyanka, Benille. “New Research in the Early Art History of Sri
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Von Schroeder, Ulrich. Buddhist Sculptures of Sri Lanka.Hong
Kong: Visual Dharma, 1990.
BENILLEPRIYANKASTUPAThe Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionaryde-
fines the word stupaas “a knot or tuft of hair, the up-
per part of the head, crest, top, summit”; also “a heap
or pile of earth, or bricks etc.” Opinions about the et-
ymology of the word stupadiffer, and the root√stup,
“to heap up, pile, erect,” seems to have been a late in-
vention in order to explain the term. Although now
inextricably linked to Buddhism, originally the stupa
was not exclusively a Buddhist structure, but also a
Jaina monument.
Generally the terms stupaand caitya,said to derive
from cita,“a funeral pile,” are used interchangeably.
Both terms indicate a mound of earth surrounded by
a wooden railing, marking the place of the funeral pyre
of a significant person. While the meaning of caitya
may also mean observances “relating to a funeral pile
or mound,” the term stupadesignates the actual struc-
ture. Originally, stupas contained relics, mainly ash, of
a saintly person, and later other objects, such as crys-
tal beads.
Buddhist texts narrate how the Buddha’s relics were
divided into eight portions; these were distributed to
different kingdoms within India and stupas were built
over them. These relics were redistributed during the
third century B.C.E. by AS ́OKAnot only as an act of
homage to the Buddhist faith, but also to ensure the
Buddha’s protection over his extensive empire. Thus,
thousands of stupas were built as a remembrance of
the Buddha and of the crucial episodes of his life; for
example, the stupa at Sarnath commemorated the
Buddha’s first sermon. In time, stupas were erected as
an homage to any past or future buddha, or to any
Buddhist saint.
Basically a stupa consisted of a circular platform
(medhl) on which was erected a solid masonry hemi-
sphere, or anda(egg), made of unburnt bricks. In its
center was a small space for a receptacle containing
relics. On the summit of the plain anda,and aligned
with the reliquary, was raised a shaft surmounted by
one or more chattravali(parasols), a mark of royalty
that later assumed a complex metaphysical meaning.
The surface of the dome was finished with a thick layer
of plaster. Because it was customary to circumambu-
late the stupa as a part of worship, a pradaksinapatha
(processional path) was provided both on the medhl
and at ground level by enclosing the monument within
a vedika(wooden railing), leaving enough space for
walking. The vedika,which, at least in theory, shouldSTUPA