The stūpa began as a burial mound for the Buddha’s relics and became the central Buddhist monument across Asia, from the domes of Sāñchī to the pagodas of China and Japan and the chörtens of Tibet. Pilgrims walk around it clockwise in devotion.
Stūpa
A Buddhist reliquary monument, a mound or tower enshrining relics and symbolizing the Buddha’s awakened mind.
Also: Stupa, pagoda, chorten