Patinated metal religious implement in shape of stupa resting on lotus pedestal featuring serpentine motif at apex
Patinated metal religious implement in shape of stupa resting on lotus pedestal featuring serpentine motif at apex

Stupa

Location
Tibet
Date
14th century
Material
Copper alloy
Catalog Number
C2003.12.2 (HAR 65213)
Collection
Rubin Museum of Art

Stupas are made to hold precious relics of the Buddha or other important religious leaders, as well as symbolic “relics” of the Buddha’s teachings (dharma). In India stupas were originally hemispherical mounds, but gradually they evolved into more complex forms. Stupas can be found in all sizes throughout the Himalayas, marking important locations. People walk around them, performing a circumambulation, often while turning prayer wheels. Activities such as reciting mantras and walking around stupas, temples, or other sacred sites are believed to increase a person’s merit.

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Ritual

Ritual informs the structure of religious life in the Himalayas, defining the daily routine of practitioners and shaping a range of community-based activities.

Ritual
Secular Aims

Religious rituals and the commissioning of art can serve everyday secular needs, the most common being wealth, health, and long life.

Secular Aims
Religious Goals

Tantric practitioners strive to transform themselves by using meditative and ritual tools with the ultimate goal of enlightenment or awakening.

Religious Goals
Storytelling

Many Himalayan paintings serve as illustrations and instructional tools that bring forth stories about the Buddha, Tibetan masters, and more.

Storytelling
Instruction

Instructive paintings can illustrate religious doctrines, medical and astrological charts, or images of ritual implements and meditative postures.

Instruction
Art in Context

Experience a sacred space similar to what could be found in a Tibetan household where religious objects are displayed and used in ritual and devotional practices.

Art in Context
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