17
May
2022
Buddhist Stupa – Kadam Chorten
The Kadam Style Stupa is distinguished by a simple but traditional top with a parasol and thirteen falling discs. A square balcony-like structure with a round bell-shaped bottom is placed in the center, all of which is above around double lotus foundation.
Kadam stupas are commonly used as reliquaries. Some include only connected articles, while others contain the ashes of a lama or other renowned person. They frequently contain numerous kinds of treasure, ranging from amber and coral to money and robe remnants from lamas. Some stupas even include the dharma itself, with passages from sutras and remnants of artwork.
Kadam stupas, like other stupas and ritual images, go through consecration procedures regardless of their content. The stupas are enlivened by the presence of an enlightened being during these ceremonies. Kadam stupas are thus thought to embody a Buddha, both literally and intellectually, in addition to containing the dharma.
As a result, Kadam stupas can stand in for larger, architectural stupas. Kadam stupas, like all Tibetan stupas, amplify the omnipresence of a Buddha, creating a room filled with enlightened energy. During the consecration process, the enlightened presence is invited to remain within the stupa for the benefit of all sentient beings, creating this sacred sanctuary.
The stupa’s shape emphasizes this holiness even further. The design of the Kadam stupa reflects the very heart intellect of an enlightened presence. All Tibetan stupas, in fact, exude this energy.
They are depictions of Mt. Meru, the internal world system of all who seek enlightenment, and thus enlightenment itself. All stupas, by extension, represent the mandala, the palace at the summit of Mt. Meru where the transcendent Buddhas live. As a result, all stupas, particularly Kadam stupas, invoke the sacred place of enlightenment by their form as well as their consecration.
As a result, each deed performed near a stupa, no matter how small, is considered to be accomplished near a Buddha and is multiplied tenfold. Kadam stupas, like colossal stupas, are objects of ceremonial devotion.
Because most Kadam stupas are portable, they are frequently revered when traveling, such as en route to pilgrimage places, when gigantic stupas are not available.
Kadam stupas, on the other hand, are distinguishable from other stupas not by their size or portability, but by their shape. Although Kadam stupas share the same fundamental parts as stupas in general, these pieces are arranged differently. The overall bell-like shape of this stupa style is perhaps the most clearly known aspect.
The lotus-form top piece, the pancaratha-form or stepped harmika, the conical arrangement of thirteen bhumis surrounding a central axis, and the row of doubled lotus petals at the base are other key aspects.
Table of Contents
- 1 - Origin of Kadam Stupas
- 2 - Representation of Kadam Stupas
- 2.1 - Stupa (Buddhist Reliquary) – Metal
- 2.2 - Stupa (Buddhist Reliquary)
- 2.3 - Buddhist Stupa from Tibet
- 2.4 - Stupa (Buddhist Reliquary) – Bronze
- 2.5 - Buddhist Stupa from Private collection
- 2.6 - Stupa from Tibet
- 2.7 - Stupa from Private Collection
- 2.8 - Stupa (Buddhist Reliquary) from Tibet
- 2.9 - Buddhist Stupa from The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology
- 2.10 - 18th Century Buddhist Stupa
- 2.11 - Stupa (Buddhist Reliquary) from Mongolia
- 2.12 - Buddhist Stupa from Margot and Tom Pritzker Collection
- 2.13 - Stupa (Buddhist Reliquary) from Private Collection
- 2.14 - Buddhist Stupa from Dallas Museum of Art
- 2.15 - 16th Century Buddhist Stupa
- 2.16 - Buddhist Stupa from Rubin Museum of Art
- 2.17 - Statue of Buddhist Stupa
- 2.18 - Buddhist Stupa
- 2.19 - Buddhist Stupa from Tibet House Museum, New Delhi
- 2.20 - Buddhist Stupa – Bronze
- 2.21 - Buddhist Stupa Statue
- 2.22 - Buddhist Stupa Statue from Tibetan House Museum, New Delhi
- 2.23 - Buddhist Stupa Statue from Private Collection
- 2.24 - Stupa (Buddhist Reliquary) – Crystal
- 2.25 - Stupa (Buddhist Reliquary) from Bachmann and Eckenstein Collection
- 2.26 - Buddhist Stupa from Bachmann and Eckenstein
- 2.27 - 11th Century Buddhist Stupa
- 2.28 - Buddhist Stupa from Newark Museum
- 2.29 - Stupa (Buddhist Reliquary) from Newark Museum
- 2.30 - Buddhist Stupa from Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art Collection
- 2.31 - Stupa (Buddhist Reliquary) from Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art
- 2.32 - Stupa Statue from Private Collection
- 2.33 - Buddhist Reliquary from Private Collection
- 2.34 - Buddhist Reliquary – Metal
- 2.35 - 17th Century Buddhist Stupa
Origin of Kadam Stupas
This style originated in ancient India. It is based on a stupa brought to Tibet by Atisa, the renowned teacher of Buddhist doctrine’s second promulgation. The stupa is, in fact, one of his characteristics.
As the name “Kadam” indicates, these stupas are still most strongly associated with this sect. At the Netong Drolma Lhakhuang monastery, where Atisa died in 1054, relics of both Atisa and Dromdon are placed within huge Kadam stupas.
Representation of Kadam Stupas
Kadam stupas have had the same sacred form from at least the period of Atisa. Enlightenment is reaffirmed in this form through several layers of significance.
Kadam stupas are thus more than just reliquaries. As reliquaries, they only serve to honor great people. Stupas, on the other hand, invoke the Buddha’s heart mind.
The concept that all sentient beings are potential Buddhas and hold the seed of enlightenment is reinforced by this dual mission. Kadam stupas, like Tibetan art in general, function as mirrors into the heart and mind.
Stupa (Buddhist Reliquary) – Metal
This stupa is from a private collection. The origin of this stupa is in Tibet. The material used to make this stupa is metal. This stupa is from a Buddhist lineage.
| Name | Stupa |
| Tibetan Name | མཆོད་རྟེན། |
| Chinese Name | 佛塔 |
| Origin | Tibet |
| Material | Metal |
| Lineage | Buddhist |
| classification | Object/Concept |
| Collection | Private |
Stupa (Buddhist Reliquary)
This stupa is from a private collection. The material used to make this stupa is metal. This stupa is from a Buddhist lineage.
| Name | Stupa |
| Tibetan Name | མཆོད་རྟེན། |
| Chinese Name | 佛塔 |
| Material | Metal |
| Lineage | Buddhist |
| classification | Object/Concept |
| Collection | Private |
Buddhist Stupa from Tibet
This stupa is from a private collection. The origin of this stupa is in Tibet. The material used to make this stupa is Bronze. This stupa is from a Buddhist lineage.
| Name | Stupa |
| Tibetan Name | མཆོད་རྟེན། |
| Chinese Name | 佛塔 |
| Origin | Tibet |
| Material | Bronze |
| Lineage | Buddhist |
| classification | Object/Concept |
| Collection | Private |
Stupa (Buddhist Reliquary) – Bronze
This stupa is from a private collection. The origin of this stupa is in Tibet. The material used to make this stupa is Bronze. This stupa is from a Buddhist lineage.
| Name | Stupa |
| Tibetan Name | མཆོད་རྟེན། |
| Chinese Name | 佛塔 |
| Origin | Tibet |
| Material | Bronze |
| Lineage | Buddhist |
| classification | Object/Concept |
| Collection | Private |
Buddhist Stupa from Private collection
This stupa is from a private collection. The material used to make this stupa is Metal. This stupa is from a Buddhist lineage.
| Name | Stupa |
| Tibetan Name | མཆོད་རྟེན། |
| Chinese Name | 佛塔 |
| Material | Metal |
| Lineage | Buddhist |
| classification | Object/Concept |
| Collection | Private |
Stupa from Tibet
This stupa is from a private collection. The origin of this stupa is in Tibet. The material used to make this stupa is Metal. This stupa is from a Buddhist lineage.
| Name | Stupa |
| Tibetan Name | མཆོད་རྟེན། |
| Chinese Name | 佛塔 |
| Origin | Tibet |
| Material | Metal |
| Lineage | Buddhist |
| classification | Object/Concept |
| Collection | Private |
Stupa from Private Collection
This stupa is from a private collection. This stupa is from a Buddhist lineage.
| Name | Stupa |
| Tibetan Name | མཆོད་རྟེན། |
| Chinese Name | 佛塔 |
| Lineage | Buddhist |
| classification | Object/Concept |
| Collection | Private |
Stupa (Buddhist Reliquary) from Tibet
This stupa is from a collection of The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology. The origin of this stupa is in Tibet. This stupa is from a Buddhist lineage.
| Name | Stupa |
| Tibetan Name | མཆོད་རྟེན། |
| Chinese Name | 佛塔 |
| Origin | Tibet |
| Lineage | Buddhist |
| classification | Object/Concept |
| Collection | The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology |
Buddhist Stupa from The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology
This stupa is from a collection of The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology. The origin of this stupa is in Tibet. The material used to make this stupa is Bronze. This stupa is from a Buddhist lineage.
| Name | Stupa |
| Tibetan Name | མཆོད་རྟེན། |
| Chinese Name | 佛塔 |
| Origin | Tibet |
| Material | Bronze |
| Lineage | Buddhist |
| classification | Object/Concept |
| Collection | The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology |
18th Century Buddhist Stupa
This stupa is from a collection of the Zanabazar Museum of Fine Arts. The origin of this stupa is between 1800-1899 in Mongolia. The material used to make this stupa is Metal.
This stupa is from a Gelug lineage.
| Name | Stupa |
| Tibetan Name | མཆོད་རྟེན། |
| Chinese Name | 佛塔 |
| Origin | Mongolia |
| Date Range | 1800-1899 |
| Material | Metal |
| Lineage | Gelug |
| classification | Object/Concept |
| Collection | Zanabazar Museum of Fine Arts |
Stupa (Buddhist Reliquary) from Mongolia
This stupa is from a collection of the Zanabazar Museum of Fine Arts. The origin of this stupa is between 1800-1899 in Mongolia. The material used to make this stupa is Metal.
This stupa is from a Gelug lineage.
| Name | Stupa |
| Tibetan Name | མཆོད་རྟེན། |
| Chinese Name | 佛塔 |
| Origin | Mongolia |
| Date Range | 1800-1899 |
| Material | Metal |
| Lineage | Gelug |
| classification | Object/Concept |
| Collection | Zanabazar Museum of Fine Arts |
Buddhist Stupa from Margot and Tom Pritzker Collection
This stupa is from a collection of Margot and Tom Pritzker. The origin of this stupa is in Tibet. The material used to make this stupa is Metal. This stupa is from a Buddhist lineage.
| Name | Stupa |
| Tibetan Name | མཆོད་རྟེན། |
| Chinese Name | 佛塔 |
| Origin | Tibet |
| Material | Metal |
| Lineage | Buddhist |
| classification | Object/Concept |
| Collection | Margot and Tom Pritzker |
Stupa (Buddhist Reliquary) from Private Collection
This stupa is from a private collection. The origin of this stupa is in Tibet. This stupa is from a Buddhist lineage.
| Name | Stupa |
| Tibetan Name | མཆོད་རྟེན། |
| Chinese Name | 佛塔 |
| Origin | Tibet |
| Lineage | Buddhist |
| classification | Object/Concept |
| Collection | Private |
Buddhist Stupa from Dallas Museum of Art
This stupa is from a collection of the Dallas Museum of Art. The origin of this stupa is in Tibet. The material used to make this stupa is Metal. This stupa is from a Buddhist lineage.
| Name | Stupa |
| Tibetan Name | མཆོད་རྟེན། |
| Chinese Name | 佛塔 |
| Origin | Tibet |
| Material | Metal |
| Lineage | Buddhist |
| classification | Object/Concept |
| Collection | Dallas Museum of Art |
16th Century Buddhist Stupa
This stupa is from a collection of the Rubin Museum of Art. The origin of this stupa is between 1600-1699 in Tibet. The material used to make this stupa is Metal.
This stupa is from a Buddhist lineage.
| Name | Stupa |
| Tibetan Name | མཆོད་རྟེན། |
| Chinese Name | 佛塔 |
| Origin | Tibet |
| Date Range | 1600-1699 |
| Material | Metal |
| Lineage | Buddhist |
| classification | Object/Concept |
| Collection | Rubin Museum of Art |
Buddhist Stupa from Rubin Museum of Art
This stupa is from a collection of Rubin Museum of Art. The origin of this stupa is in Tibet. The material used to make this stupa is Metal.
| Name | Stupa |
| Tibetan Name | མཆོད་རྟེན། |
| Chinese Name | 佛塔 |
| Origin | Tibet |
| Material | Metal |
| classification | Object/Concept |
| Collection | Rubin Museum of Art |
Statue of Buddhist Stupa
This stupa is from a private collection. This stupa is from a Kadam and Buddhist lineage.
| Name | Stupa |
| Tibetan Name | མཆོད་རྟེན། |
| Chinese Name | 佛塔 |
| Lineage | Kadam and Buddhist |
| classification | Object/Concept |
| Collection | Private |
Buddhist Stupa
This stupa is from a private collection.
| Name | Stupa |
| Tibetan Name | མཆོད་རྟེན། |
| Chinese Name | 佛塔 |
| classification | Object/Concept |
| Collection | Private |
Buddhist Stupa from Tibet House Museum, New Delhi
This stupa is from a collection of Tibet House Museum, New Delhi. The origin of this stupa is in Tibet. The material used to make this stupa is Bronze.
This stupa is from a Buddhist lineage.
| Name | Stupa |
| Tibetan Name | མཆོད་རྟེན། |
| Chinese Name | 佛塔 |
| Origin | Tibet |
| Material | Bronze |
| Lineage | Buddhist |
| classification | Object/Concept |
| Collection | Tibet House Museum, New Delhi |
Buddhist Stupa – Bronze
This stupa is from a collection of Tibet House Museum, New Delhi. The origin of this stupa is in Tibet. The material used to make this stupa is Bronze.
This stupa is from a Buddhist lineage.
| Name | Stupa |
| Tibetan Name | མཆོད་རྟེན། |
| Chinese Name | 佛塔 |
| Origin | Tibet |
| Material | Bronze |
| Lineage | Buddhist |
| classification | Object/Concept |
| Collection | Tibet House Museum, New Delhi |
Buddhist Stupa Statue
This stupa is from a collection of Tibet House Museum, New Delhi. The origin of this stupa is in Tibet. The material used to make this stupa is Bronze.
This stupa is from a Buddhist lineage.
| Name | Stupa |
| Tibetan Name | མཆོད་རྟེན། |
| Chinese Name | 佛塔 |
| Origin | Tibet |
| Material | Bronze |
| Lineage | Buddhist |
| classification | Object/Concept |
| Collection | Tibet House Museum, New Delhi |
Buddhist Stupa Statue from Tibetan House Museum, New Delhi
This stupa is from a collection of Tibet House Museum, New Delhi. The origin of this stupa is in Tibet. The material used to make this stupa is Bronze.
This stupa is from a Buddhist lineage.
| Name | Stupa |
| Tibetan Name | མཆོད་རྟེན། |
| Chinese Name | 佛塔 |
| Origin | Tibet |
| Material | Bronze |
| Lineage | Buddhist |
| classification | Object/Concept |
| Collection | Tibet House Museum, New Delhi |
Buddhist Stupa Statue from Private Collection
This stupa is from a Private collection. The origin of this stupa is in Tibet. The material used to make this stupa is Bronze.
This stupa is from a Buddhist lineage.
| Name | Stupa |
| Tibetan Name | མཆོད་རྟེན། |
| Chinese Name | 佛塔 |
| Origin | Tibet |
| Material | Bronze |
| Lineage | Buddhist |
| classification | Object/Concept |
| Collection | Private |
Stupa (Buddhist Reliquary) – Crystal
This stupa is from a collection of Bachmann and Eckenstein. The origin of this stupa is in Tibet. The material used to make this stupa is stone.
This stupa is from a Buddhist lineage.
| Name | Stupa |
| Tibetan Name | མཆོད་རྟེན། |
| Chinese Name | 佛塔 |
| Origin | Tibet |
| Material | Stone |
| Lineage | Buddhist |
| classification | Object/Concept |
| Collection | Bachmann and Eckenstein |
Stupa (Buddhist Reliquary) from Bachmann and Eckenstein Collection
This stupa is from a collection of Bachmann and Eckenstein. The origin of this stupa is in Tibet. The material used to make this stupa is Bronze.
This stupa is from a Buddhist lineage.
| Name | Stupa |
| Tibetan Name | མཆོད་རྟེན། |
| Chinese Name | 佛塔 |
| Origin | Tibet |
| Material | Bronze |
| Lineage | Buddhist |
| classification | Object/Concept |
| Collection | Bachmann and Eckenstein |
Buddhist Stupa from Bachmann and Eckenstein
This stupa is from a collection of Bachmann and Eckenstein. The origin of this stupa is in Tibet. The material used to make this stupa is Bronze.
This stupa is from a Buddhist lineage.
| Name | Stupa |
| Tibetan Name | མཆོད་རྟེན། |
| Chinese Name | 佛塔 |
| Origin | Tibet |
| Material | Bronze |
| Lineage | Buddhist |
| classification | Object/Concept |
| Collection | Bachmann and Eckenstein |
11th Century Buddhist Stupa
This stupa is from a collection of The Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art. The origin of this stupa is between 1100-1199 in Tibet. The material used to make this stupa is Bronze.
This stupa is from a Kadam and Buddhist lineage. The size of this stupa is 24cm (9.45in) high.
| Name | Stupa |
| Tibetan Name | མཆོད་རྟེན། |
| Chinese Name | 佛塔 |
| Origin | Tibet |
| Date Range | 1100-1199 |
| Material | Bronze |
| size | 24cm (9.45in) high |
| Lineage | Kadam and Buddhist |
| classification | Object/Concept |
| Collection | The Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art |
Buddhist Stupa from Newark Museum
This stupa is from a collection of the Newark Museum. The origin of this stupa is between 1600-1699 in Tibet. The material used to make this stupa is Metal.
This stupa is from a Buddhist lineage.
| Name | Stupa |
| Tibetan Name | མཆོད་རྟེན། |
| Chinese Name | 佛塔 |
| Origin | Tibet |
| Date Range | 1600-1699 |
| Material | Metal |
| Lineage | Buddhist |
| classification | Object/Concept |
| Collection | Newark Museum |
Stupa (Buddhist Reliquary) from Newark Museum
This stupa is from a collection of the Newark Museum. The origin of this stupa is between 1600-1699 in Tibet. The material used to make this stupa is Metal.
This stupa is from a Buddhist lineage.
| Name | Stupa |
| Tibetan Name | མཆོད་རྟེན། |
| Chinese Name | 佛塔 |
| Origin | Tibet |
| Date Range | 1600-1699 |
| Material | Metal |
| Lineage | Buddhist |
| classification | Object/Concept |
| Collection | Newark Museum |
Buddhist Stupa from Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art Collection
This stupa is from a collection of the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art. The origin of this stupa is in Tibet. The material used to make this stupa is Metal.
This stupa is from a Buddhist lineage.
| Name | Stupa |
| Tibetan Name | མཆོད་རྟེན། |
| Chinese Name | 佛塔 |
| Origin | Tibet |
| Material | Metal |
| Lineage | Buddhist |
| classification | Object/Concept |
| Collection | Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art |
Stupa (Buddhist Reliquary) from Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art
This stupa is from a collection of the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art. The origin of this stupa is in Tibet. The material used to make this stupa is Metal.
This stupa is from a Buddhist lineage.
| Name | Stupa |
| Tibetan Name | མཆོད་རྟེན། |
| Chinese Name | 佛塔 |
| Origin | Tibet |
| Material | Metal |
| Lineage | Buddhist |
| classification | Object/Concept |
| Collection | Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art |
Stupa Statue from Private Collection
This stupa is from a Private collection. The origin of this stupa is in Tibet.
This stupa is from a Buddhist lineage.
| Name | Stupa |
| Tibetan Name | མཆོད་རྟེན། |
| Chinese Name | 佛塔 |
| Origin | Tibet |
| Lineage | Buddhist |
| classification | Object/Concept |
| Collection | Private |
Buddhist Reliquary from Private Collection
This stupa is from a Private collection. The origin of this stupa is in Tibet. The material used to make this stupa is Metal.
This stupa is from a Buddhist lineage.
| Name | Stupa |
| Tibetan Name | མཆོད་རྟེན། |
| Chinese Name | 佛塔 |
| Origin | Tibet |
| Material | Metal |
| Lineage | Buddhist |
| classification | Object/Concept |
| Collection | Private |
Buddhist Reliquary – Metal
This stupa is from a Private collection. The origin of this stupa is in Tibet.
This stupa is from a Buddhist lineage.
| Name | Stupa |
| Tibetan Name | མཆོད་རྟེན། |
| Chinese Name | 佛塔 |
| Origin | Tibet |
| Lineage | Buddhist |
| classification | Object/Concept |
| Collection | Private |
17th Century Buddhist Stupa
his stupa is from a collection of the Rubin Museum of Art. The origin of this stupa is between 1700-1799 in Tibet. The material used to make this stupa is Metal.
This stupa is from a Buddhist lineage.
| Name | Stupa |
| Tibetan Name | མཆོད་རྟེན། |
| Chinese Name | 佛塔 |
| Origin | Tibet |
| Date Range | 1700-1799 |
| Material | Metal |
| Lineage | Buddhist |
| classification | Object/Concept |
| Collection | Rubin Museum of Art |
