A stupa is a Buddhist or Jain funerary monument. The earliest Buddhist stupas held the Buddha’s ashes and relics, but later ones also interred the remains of the Buddha’s renowned acolytes or commemorated significant sites or events in the life of the Buddha. Miniature stupas made of schist or copper alloy were used either as reliquaries containing precious offerings or, as here, votive objects for worship. Although individual stupas differ in design details, the general form consists of a circular or square base, hemispherical dome (anda), quadrangular terrace (harmika), and a finial in the form of an honorific parasol (chattra) with a central mast and a series of tapering umbrellas that can vary in number from three to seven. This three-tiered parasol is separately fashioned. It is secured by a hidden tang that is inset into a channel, or perhaps a small reliquary chamber, cut down into the center of the stupa. The exterior can be undecorated, as here, or embellished with lotus medallions, seated Buddhas, or Atlas figures (see M.71.73.136).
