The followers of Gautama Buddha enshrined his mortal remains in a number of stupas. Documentary filmmaker, art historian and photographer Benoy K Behl shares images of a tradition that spread to many countries and continues even today

Stupas are among the earliest Indian monuments to survive — both of the Buddhist and Jaina traditions. Recent excavations near Nalanda have also unearthed a large stupa made between the 8th and the 10th centuries BCE.

In Indic thought, the final truth which is sought is formless, arupa or nirguna. The concept of the stupa (of Buddhist, Jaina and Ajivika worship) is explained in the Chitrasutra, the oldest-known treatise on image making.

It is mentioned in this treatise that the best way in which the eternal is to be imagined is without form. Stupas can be meditated upon, without reminding the devotee of any forms of the illusory world. The followers of Gautama Buddha enshrined his mortal remains in a number of stupas. Thus, began a tradition which spread to many countries and continues even today. Stupas also housed mantras, the remains of other revered teachers and their personal belongings. It  became the symbol of liberation from the attachments of the material world.

 Stupa II, Sanchi, c. 100 BCE, Madhya Pradesh, India

At Sanchi, on a low hill next to Vidisha, are the finest surviving early Buddhist stupas. Halfway up the hill, is a stupa which contains the remains of prominent Buddhist teachers of the Maurya period. The vedika or railings made around the stupa, date to around 100 BCE.

Made in the time of the Sunga rulers, the sculptures on the vedika of this stupa are among the very oldest Buddhist art of the world. These depictions continue the rich visual lore of the land and show the roots of the specific Buddhist imagery to come in later centuries. Stupa in Cave Interior, Junnar Caves, Maharashtra, India

There are many small, rock-cut caves on four hills close to Junnar, in Pune district. These were excavated from the 1st century BCE to the 3rd century CE. Borobudur Stupa, Java, 8th-9th Century CE, Indonesia

The Borobudur Stupa, built by the Sailendra kings, is one of the world's most magnificent Buddhist monuments. The thousands of feet of very fine relief made around the stupa, at different levels, clearly illustrate the ascent to enlightenment, according to Buddhist philosophy.

Nagarjunakonda Reconstructed Buddhist Site on Island in Nagarjunasagar Lake, Guntur District, Andhra Pradesh, India

In the 3rd century CE, the power of the Satavahanas began to fade. However, the tradition of art which had blossomed under them, continued at Buddhist stupas, such as those at Nagarjunakonda, which means ‘Hill of Nagarjuna'. Unlike at Amaravati, the remains at Nagarjunakonda have been systematically excavated and securely dated through inscriptions, to the 3rd and 4th centuries CE. The original site was submerged by the making of a dam in recent years. However, the edifices were carefully reconstructed and preserved for the future.

Mirisawetiya Stupa, Anuradhapura, 2nd Century BCE, Sri Lanka.

As in India, magnificent stupas were made in the early period in Sri Lanka. This stupa is over 190 feet high and brings before us the grandeur of the spirit.

Kumbum Chorten, Pelkor Chode Monastery, Gyantse, 15th Century CE, Tibet

The many-tiered Kumbum is the largest chorten or stupa in Tibet. It was commissioned by a Gyantse prince in 1427 CE and was an important centre of the Sakya order of Tibetan Buddhism. This chorten has thousands of mural paintings on its many levels. These show a strong Nepali influence. After the period of the Kashmiri painters from India, it was the Nepali artists and their students who painted the walls of the monasteries of Tibet.

Swayambhunath Stupa, Kathmandu, Nepal

This stupa is on a holy site, which dates back to the 5th century CE. Besides the main stupa, the complex has many shrines, prayer wheels, Shivalingas and a temple dedicated to the deity Hariti. The stupa has eyes painted on all four sides, symbolising the all-seeing eyes of the divine. There is also a third eye which signifies the wisdom of looking within. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.