Sanchi Stupa, third-century B.C.E., Ashoka. Beginning with Ashoka, Buddhist rulers built stu-
pas to house relics of the Buddha and his followers. The characteristic mound shape of these
solid mortuary structures house cremated remains such as ash, bone, teeth. They cannot be
entered but provide a field of merit from being in the presence of sacred remains, which are
honored by repeated clockwise circumambulation. These are sites of pilgrimage distributed
across the subcontinent from Bengal to Afghanistan. In China and Japan, Buddhist stupas
took the form of tiered pagodas.
Jama Masjid, Delhi. The largest mosque (masjid) in India was built in 1656 by Shah Jahan. It can
hold 25,000 people. It contains relics of the Prophet, including a hair of his beard, his sandals, and
a footprint, along with calligraphic inscriptions from the Quran. A mosque is essentially a large
courtyard with a large inner worship space for congregational worship and sermons. The central
feature inside is the mihrab, an ornate niche oriented to Mecca that is faced by worshippers in
prayer, and the minbar, or pulpit, for Friday sermons. The tall towers, or minars, are for the five-
times-daily call to prayer. The large domes are the supreme achievement of Islamic architecture.