-Three umbrellas at the top represent Buddha, Buddha’s law, and monastic orders -A railing at the crest of the mount surrounds the umbrellas, symbolically representing a sacred tree. -Double stairway at the south end leads from the base to the drum, where there is a walkway for circumambulation. -Originally painted white. -Hemispherical dome is a replication of the dome of heaven. Seated Buddha from the second level from the Later Gupta period.
--Donors’ names are carved into the monument: 600 inscriptions reveal the project was funded by women as well as men, common people as well as monks.
-Pilgrimage site -A Buddhist shrine, mound-shaped and faced with dressed stone containing the relics of the Buddha -The worshiper circumambulates the stupa clockwise along the base of the drums; circular motion suggests the endless cycle of birth and rebirth.
--Toranas: -Four toranas, or gateways, at cardinal points of the compass, grace the entrances -The orientation of the toranas and the direction of the ritualistic circumambulation correspond with the direction of the sun’s course: from sunrise to the zenith, sunset, and nadir -Torona: richly carved scenes on the architraves. -Buddha does not appear himself but is symbolized by an empty throne or a tree under which he meditated -Some of these reliefs may also represent the sacred site where Shakyamuni Buddha visited or taught others about the jataka stories or past lives of the Buddha -Horror vacui of composition -High-Relief sculpture -Pre-Buddhist Yakshi figures symbolize fertility.