Chorten
| Tibetan name |
|---|
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Tibetan script :
མཆོད་ རྟེན །
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Wylie transliteration : mchod rten
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Pronunciation in IPA : [
tɕʰøʔtẽ ]
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Official transcription of the PRCh : qoids
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THDL transcription : chötten
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Other spellings: chörten, chorten
|
| Chinese name |
|
Traditional :
塔 、 確 典
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Simplified :
塔 、 确 典
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Pinyin : tǎ, quèdiǎn
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The Chorten is a cult building of Tibetan Buddhism ; it represents the local further development of a stupa . In the areas of the Himalaya Mountains ( Tibet , Ladakh , Zanskar , Bhutan ), however, the tradition of laying stones on top of one another at certain points has existed since ancient times; Both lines of tradition seem to have merged in a chort.
architecture
The mostly whitewashed main body of the Chörten is reminiscent of the shape of an inverted bell with a round floor plan and rises on a multi-stepped substructure with a square floor plan; however, there are also chortens with a square floor plan on all levels. The top of the chörten often forms an umbrella of honor ( chhatra ), from which strings with attached colorful prayer flags are stretched in all directions, which are moved by the wind.
Chortens in Tibet
Chorten in Ladakh
Chorten in Ladakh with the Himalayas in the background
Chörten at Chusang Monastery
Chorten in Bhutan
Chorten in Tangye
literature
- Adrian Snodgrass: The Symbolism of the Stupa . Motilal Banarsidass Publishers (Cornell Southeast Asia Program), Delhi, 1992, ISBN 81-208-0781-2
