What question did this study set out to answer?

The research aims to examine the changes in the architectural spatial components of Buddhist stupas in Central Asia.

April 1, 2026Open Access

The Spatial Composition of Buddhist Temples in Central Asia, Part 1:The Transformation of Stupas

Key Points

The research aims to examine the changes in the architectural spatial components of Buddhist stupas in Central Asia.
Conducted bibliographic surveys of 59 documented Buddhist temple remains in Central Asia.
Created a database of Buddhist remains for analysis.
Analyzed the spatial composition of temples, categorizing them into four types based on characteristics.
Identified four types of temples: stupas, shrines, monasteries, and inferior complexes.
Developed three-dimensional spatial schemas showcasing the architectural forms of stupas.
Visually represented the spatial compositions of the different temple types.

Abstract

This study focuses considered on the transformation of main stupas in terms of architectural spatial components based on bibliographic surveys concerning 59 documented Buddhist temple remains (excluding cave temples) in Central Asia. We prepared a database of Buddhist remains, and analyzed the spatial composition of each temple, judging from the extracted spatial components. We divided temples into 4 types based on their spatial composition characteristics: stupas, shrines, monasteries, the other inferior complexes; we created three-dimensional spatial schemas of each type and showed visually presented the spatial compositions of temples and the forms of stupas.

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