caitya [cetiya] pagoda, temple, edifice. Caitya is a kind of tumulus raised over remains of the dead. The Sanskrit root ci means to heap together. The word caitya is a synonym for dāgoba, stūpa or tope. A relic structure in an assembly hall is known as caitya. The rock hewn temples found in India are also covered by the term caitya. Caitya is a religious term whereas dāgoba, stūpa or tope are architectural connotations. It is an object of veneration. The term stūpa stands for those structures which represent relics of the Buddha or the Arhat-s. Otherwise they are called dāgoba. The stūpa is erected in the open air. Stones or bricks are used in its structure. Inside the caitya or stūpa a casket made of silver, gold, stone, or earthenware is placed. The ashes, fragments of bones or the teeth or nails of the deceased are installed in it.
The caitya-s are of four types: paribhoga, dhātu, dharma and uddesika caitya-s. Paribhoga caitya-s include the personal belongings of the Buddha such as water-strainer, girdle, robes and alms-bowl. The edifices where any of these are enshrined are also known as caitya-s. The term is also used for the Bodhi tree, umbrella, the footprint of the Buddha, in short, things connected with the Buddha. Dhātu caitya-s denote the Buddha’s relics and the stūpa-s or edifices where the relics are enshrined. Dharma caitya-s denote palm leaves or books, etc., where the Buddha’s teachings appear. The stūpa-s or edifices where these are enshrined are also known as dharma caitya-s. The images and statues of the Buddha are known as uddesika caitya-s.
caitya
(Sanskrit; Pāli, cetiya). Literally ‘tumulus, sepulchral monument’.
1. An alternative name for a stūpa, usually one which is empty of relics.
2. A Buddhist sanctuary used as an assembly hall, originally referring to rock-cut caves such as those at Ellorā, which featured a stūpa as a focal point of devotion.
cetiya
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