Comparison Art: Stupa and Stelae

 

Stupas are Buddhist monuments that are made with regards to specific aspects of enlightenment.  The Ashoka were the ones to erect monuments to enshrine to divide different relics of the Buddha, and the stupas became the areas of worship.  In the Buddhist tradition, originally the 9 stupas were built after the death of Buddha.  8 of them are over relics and the 9th is over the vessel in which the relics were originally placed.  The core of the stupa was made of unburnt brick and the outer face is made of burnt brick, and a thick layer of plaster.


 

The stelae of Aksum is a 97 foot tall obelisk that is carved mainly from solid blocks of nepheline syenite.  The material is weather resistant like granite and is believed to have come from the quarries of Wuchate Golo.  Like the stupa, there are multiple stelae located across the field, 7 total stelae with 5 laying in ruins.  The significance comes from the intricate designs and massive size that represents buildings of up to 13 stories in height.  From what I understand in the article provided these obelisks were built around tombs or mausoleums to mark important figures.  It is believed that the largest of the obelisks built were made to accelerate the adoption of the new religion.


 Dr. Karen Shelby, "The stupa," in Smarthistory, August 9, 2015, accessed November 3, 2020, https://smarthistory.org/the-stupa/.

Department of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. “The Monumental Stelae of Aksum (3rd–4th Century).” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/aksu_2/hd_aksu_2.htm (October 2000)


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