Buddhist Stupas In Asia: The Shape Of Perfection

Photography by Bill Wassman.

Transcending architecture and archaeology, the stupa is the living embodiment of Buddhist teachings - a harmonising of the physical with the spiritual. For many Buddhists the simple contemplation of a monument's divine form draws the observer closer to enlightenment. Every year thousands of travellers, pilgrims and devotees find themselves awed by the splendour of the stupa.

From classic Indian origins, the stupa migrated with the flowering of Buddhism throughout Asia - from Sri Lanka's sprawling lost cities of Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura to the symmetrical purity of Japanese wooden pagodas. Kathmandu Valley is blessed with over 200 stupas.

Tibet's chortens are built according to principles laid out in ancient Sanskrit texts dealing the intricate rituals of raising and consecrating these sacred monuments. Yet all these widely varying styles share a unified significance - to preserve both the relics reputedly enshrined within and the cosmic dharma manifested in the form of these "sermons in stone".

With a comprehensive photographic study of Asia, this book is enriched with detailed overlays revealing the holy symbolism woven into stupa design. In Lonely Planet's characteristic style, the book is a lavish cultural exploration - an immersion in the history, myth and ritual surrounding stupas.

This is a book for people who not only observe culture, but experience it. It encourages readers to look deeper, to be spiritually transported by witnessing the majesty, simplicity and beauty of these devotional sites.