UPSC Prelims 2023 – Question 42

Q42. With reference to ancient India, consider the following statements: 

1. The concept of Stupa is Buddhist in origin. 

2. Stupa was generally a repository of relics. 

3. The stupa was a votive and commemorative structure in Buddhist tradition. 

How many of the statements given above are correct? 

1. Only one 

2. Only two 

3. All three 

4. None 

Correct Answer: Option (b) 

• The word Stupa is mentioned in the Rigveda, Atharvaveda, Vajasaneyi Samhita, Taittriya Samhita, in the Panchavimsata Brahmana. Rigveda refers to a Stupa raised by the King Varuna above the forest in a place having no foundation. The word ‘estuka’ is also used in the same sense in Rigveda, probably by then anything raised on the ground like a heap/pile might have been known as Stupa. Hence, statement 1 is not correct. 
• The practice of preserving the remains of an important personality below accumulated earth has long in existence. Buddhist art adopted this practice and the structure built over such a site was known as Stupa Hence, statement 2 is correct. 
• The Buddhist texts like the Avadana Satakam, Mahavadana, and Stupavadanam mention the commemorative aspects of the Stupa even the Jaina literature like Raya Pasenaiya Sutta refers to it. Probably in the later period, due to the deep desire of the common mass to worship the lord for the sake of salvation, the Stupa acquired its votive character as well. Hence, statement 3 is correct. 

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