Overview
Following the cremation of the Buddha at Kusīnārā, a volatile dispute arose among neighboring kingdoms over who would claim his physical remains. A wise Brahmin named Dona mediated the conflict by dividing the corporeal relics into eight equal portions. Eight distinct royal clans and republics took their shares back to their homelands, constructing eight original monument stupas (sarīrathūpa) to preserve the remains.
The List
- Rājagaha Stupa: Built by King Ajātasattu of Magadha in his capital city.
- Vesālī Stupa: Built by the Licchavi clan within the Vesālī republic.
- Kapilavatthu Stupa: Built by the Sakyan clan in the ancestral homeland of the Buddha.
- Allakappa Stupa: Built by the Buli rulers of Allakappa.
- Rāmagāma Stupa: Built by the Koliya clan in Rāmagāma.
- Veṭhadīpa Stupa: Built by the prominent Brahmin community of Veṭhadīpa.
- Pāvā Stupa: Built by the Malla clan residing in the city of Pāvā.
- Kusīnārā Stupa: Built by the Malla clan in the immediate city of the Buddha’s Parinibbāna.
Textual References
- Canonical: Mahāparinibbāna Sutta (DN 16) – The concluding section chronicles the military standoff, Dona’s division, and the initial construction of these eight historic relic stupas.