The Beginnings of Buddhist Art and Other Essays in Indian and Central-Asian Archaeology c7.9

c7.9

Like every old *stûpa*, it is composed essentially of a massive hemispherical dome, raised upon a pediment likewise circular, which was reached by a flight of steps. The whole was made of bricks covered with a stone facing, which in its turn was overlaid with a thick layer of mortar, still existing in places. The terrace, in this case 4m,25 high and 1m,70 wide, served evidently as a promenade for the perambulations of the faithful. The dome — a kind of giant reliquary, though in the particular case the deposit of relics has never been discovered — measures 12m,80 in height, with a diameter of 32m,30. The only element to-day lacking to this developed tumulus is the architectural motif which served as a crown : but in thought it is easy to complete the whole by the aid of the bas-reliefs (see pl. VII, 2). They frequently reproduce the characteristic silhouette of this pinnacle, with the honorific parasol surmounting it, which must have raised the total height to about 25 metres.