Top 15 Must Visit Buddhist Stupas in India

Stupa is a hemispherical structure containing Buddhist relics and place of meditation used by Buddhists monks. Notable stupas in India are Sopara stupa- one of the most ancient stupas in the world,Great Stupa at Sanchi and Dhamek Stupa at Sarnath. Other new and most famous Buddhist stupas are Deekshabhoomi Stupa,Bavikonda Stupa,Satdhara Stupas Monument,Sopara Stupa Mumbai,Buddha Memorial Park Stupa and 7 Peace Pagoda or Vishwa Shanti Stupa.

Great Stupa -Sanchi

The Great Sanchi Stupa is one of the best preserved ancient stupas in central India also One of the oldest stone structures in India and an important Buddhist monument. Great Stupa is located at Sanchi Town in Raisen, 46 km north-east of Bhopal and built over the relics of the Buddha by the emperor Ashoka the Great.

Dhamek Stupa -Sarnath

The massive Dhamek stupa is located at Sarnath, 13 km away from holy city of Varanasi and known as one of the earliest stupas built by the great Mauryan king Ashoka. Dhamek Stupa is a solid cylinder of bricks and stone having a height of 43.6 meters and diameter of 28 meters and known as the most massive structure in Sarnath.

Maha Stupa -Thotlakonda

The Thotlakonda Buddhist Complex is located at 15 km far from Visakhapatnam city on a hill at the sea coast. Maha Stupa at Thotlakonda is ancient brick work architecture and an ideal attraction for the Buddhist monks to build a monastery complex including monastries,university, viharas and chaityas.

Kesariya Stupa -Champaran

Kesariya Stupa is one of the most famous Buddhists sites in Bihar and also one of the most striking architectural remains of ancient India. The site of a stupa built by the King Ashoka and the largest stupa in India, also claimed to be the tallest and the largest Buddhist Stupa in the world.

Bavikonda Stupa -Visakhapatnam

The Bavikonda Buddhist Complex is 16 km from Visakhapatnam city on a hill and also known as hill of wells. Buddhist complex of Bavikonda includes the remain’s of the Buddha,Pottery,Bricks and Coins were recovered here by archaeological Department of India. Bavikonda, Thotlakonda, Pavurallakonda and Bojjannakonda are four Buddhists heritage sites by UNESCO.

Do-drul Chorten Stupa -Gangtok

The Dro-dul Chorten Stupa is huge Buddhist monument in Gangtok built by Trulshik Rinpoche, located near by Research Institute of Tibetology. Do Drul Chorten is a significant stupa of Buddhists and the biggest stupa in Sikkim.

Chaukhandi Stupa -Sarnath

The large ruined stupa of Chaukhandi or the Chaukhandi Stupa is one of the important Buddhist stupa in Sarnath,located 13 kilometres from Varanasi. Chaukhandi Stupa is a place where Buddha met his first disciples and now maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India.

Ramabhar Stupa -Kushinagar

Ramabhar Stupa is a dome shaped Buddhists monument built by brickworks and stands at a height of 49 feet, It is an important Buddhist pilgrimage site, where Gautama Buddha attained Parinirvana after his death. Parinirvana Stupa or the Ramabhar Stupa is the cremation site of Lord Buddha with other prominent Buddhist pilgrimage sites such as the Parinirvana Temple, Buddha Ghat and Anirudhawa.

Mahabodhi Stupa -Bodh Gaya

The Mahabodhi Temple or Great Awakening Temple is the most popular Buddhist temple in Bodh Gaya, located about 96 km (60 mi) from Patna. Mahabodhi Temple Complex includes a holy Bodhi tree,monastery,Mahabodhi Temple with tallest tower is 55 metres and Animeshlocha Stupa.

Amaravati Stupa -Amaravati

Amaravati is located between between Krishna and Godavari rivers north of Guntur City and famous for Amareswara temple dedicated to Lord Siva. The stupa is an important place for Buddhism built during the reign of Ashoka and related to related to the Vajrayana teachings of Kalachakra.

Namgyalma Stupa -Dharamshala

Namgyalma Stupa is a dome-shaped Monument contains the remains of Buddha and a sacred place of worship for Tibetans. Namgyalma is one of the memorial sites of the region and a wonderful structure which is situated in the city of McLeodganj and a famous tourist destination.

Clement Town Stupa -Dehradun

Clement Town is located near the Rajaji National Park in  Dehradun district of Uttarakhand and famous for its World’s Largest Stupa,103 feet high statue of Buddha in Mindroling Monastery from Tibet. Mindrolling Monastery is one of the six major monasteries and the only one in India.

Deorkothar Stupa -Rewa

Deur Kothar is known for its Buddhist stupas and an important Archaeological Survey location in Madhya Pradesh. Stupa at Deorkothar are credited to Mauryan emperor Ashoka the great.

Smriti Park Stupa -Patna

The Buddha Smriti Park is situated in front of the Patna Junction and was inaugurated by Dalai Lama on the birth anniversary of the Lord Buddha. Buddha Memorial Park attractions includes Museum,Park of memories,Bodhi Trees and Stupa.

7 Shanti Stupa or Peace Pagoda

Shanti Stupa or Peace Pagoda are 7 Buddhist white-domed stupa built around the India by the Japanese Buddhist at Ladakh Shanti Stupa, Shanthi Stupa Rajgir,Shanthi Stupa Vaishali,Shanthi Stupa Darjeeling,Shanti Stupa Wardha,Shanti Stupa Dhauli Giri and Shanti Stupa Delhi.