The Buddhist architecture has its root deeply implanted in the Indian soil- the birthplace of the Buddha's teachings. The Buddhist architecture began with the development of various symbols, representing aspects of the Buddha's life. For the first time, it was the Indian emperor Ashoka, who not only established Buddhism as the state religion of his large Magadh empire, but also opted for the architectural monuments to spread Buddhism in different places. Distinctive Buddhist architectural structures and sculptures such as Stupas, Pagodas, monasteries and Caves, which have been mere spectators of different eras quietly speaks about the phases of the Buddhist stages.

Caves (Grottoes)

Caves are another type of Buddhist architecture, which is often chiseled into cliffs. In the 3rd century, Chinese Buddhists began to build grottoes and Xinjiang is the first area where caves were used. Grottoes are decorated with painted sculptures, carvings and frescos. Craftsmen revealed real life pictures and their understanding of society in these art works, which gave

them great historical and cultural value. The four famous grottoes in China are: Mogao Caves, Longmen Grottoes, Yungang Grottoes and Maiji Caves.

Stupas

The Stupas holds the most important place among all the earliest Buddhist sculptures. A Stupa is a dome-shaped monument, used to house Buddhists' relics or to commemorate significant facts of Buddhism.

Pagodas are the principle form of Buddhist architecture, which are used as religious multistory Buddhist towers, erected as a memorial or shrine. They are symbols of five elements of the universe - earth, water, fire, air and ether, and along with them, the most important factor - Consciousness, which is the ultimate reality.

Temples and Monasteries

The Buddhist temple is the holy place where Buddhist doctrine is maintained. Differing from other religions' temples, Chinese Buddhist temples have many characteristics of their own. The oldest temple in China - White Horse Temple is a typical example of this. The architectural styles of Buddhist temples in China were mainly formed in three periods: Han Dynasty (206BC-220), Northern and Southern Dynasties (386-589), and Tang Dynasty (618-907). The first period sees the retention of Indian styles. In the second period, wooden framework was added to the original styles. In the third period, the styles of Buddhist temples were totally Sinicized and the pavilion-like pagoda, which is unique to China, became popular.

Tibetan Buddhist architecture

Tibetan Buddhist architecture, in the cultural regions of the Tibetan people, has been highly influenced by China and India. Many of the houses and monasteries are typically built on elevated, sunny sites facing the south. Rocks, wood, cement and earth are the primary building materials. Flat roofs are built to conserve heat and multiple windows are constructed to let in the sunlight. Due to frequent earthquakes, walls are usually sloped inward at 10

degrees. The Potala Palace is considered the most important example of Tibetan architecture. Temples and monasteries were all built by Tibetan Buddhist followers. All decorations--plated statues, elaborate frescoes, and expensive silk hangings--were all bought and paid for by donations.

Buddhist architecture is a representative of the religious culture in China, also a wealthy of Chinese ancient culture. To protect those ancient brilliant wealthy is an urgent task for a large amount of damages happened on the Buddhist architecture during going for a tourism. Therefore, it is important to call up tourists to protect Buddhist architectures.