This study is to analyze the types of spatial composition within Buddhist shrines. The focus was on the spatial composition, the plan forms and the arrangement of worship objects (stupas and Buddhist statues). This research is based on 55 documented Buddhist temples in Central Asia. The shrine architectures have been divided into 4 types based on spatial compositions. The meanings of spatial composition also have been discussed by conjecturing how worship acts were performed in shrine architectures. For the purpose of this study, Central Asia is defined as: northern Pakistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Xinjiang Uyghur (Fig. 1).
The plan forms were divided into the following types: single chamber, two-celled chamber which has main chamber and ante-chamber (having wing walls and without wing walls type), and the corridor type (a main chamber enclosed by a single wall/ two-celled chamber enclosed by a single wall) (Fig. 2). According to the classification of plan forms, the arrangement of worship objects was classified as I, II, III, and IV. The spatial compositions were analyzed based on the schemas. The shrine architectures have been divided into 4 types as the follows (Fig. 3):
I. Worshippers face worship object inside or outside the chamber: Worshippers do not enter inside, and face to the worship object directly; Worshippers enter inside directly without wing walls, judging from its large scale; Worshippers enter inside through wing walls, judging from its large scale and the spatial composition.
II. Shrine with axiality: the worship object is located at the further end of the shrine (in some cases, center of the shrine). There is the symbolic direction to the worship object. Worshippers face the worship object.
III. Shrine with circumambulatory: the worship object is housed in the center of the main chamber. Accordingly, pradak?i?a (Buddhist devotional practice) is performed.
IV. Shrine with centrality: the worship objects are placed on three sides or four sides of the main chamber. The plan forms of shrines are centralized plan such as a square and a cruciform.
Axiality is a common characteristic in many shrine architectures. Axiality is necessarily component in the case of the two-celled chamber type shrines. In addition, it became clear that there is the shrine architecture includes some characteristics of spatial composition: axiality + circumambulatory, and axiality + circumambulatory + centrality.
Over a long period of time, circumambulatory design was adopted for wide areas because it indicated the circumambulation ritual from left to right of the worship object. On the other hand, there were few examples of shrine architectures with centrality. It has been conjectured that centrality was a determinate factor judging from the aspect of geographical distribution. Based on the analysis, the meaning of the spatial compositions was considered. The conclusions are as follows:
- Shrines with axiality means that the Buddhist world continues forward.
- Shrines with circumambulatory were held for service of the cosmological Buddha.
- Shrines with centrality had worshippers enclosed by the Buddhist world.
It could be considered that “circumambulatory” and “centrality” is contrasting characteristics of spatial composition and suggests a change of meaning in the shrine architecture.
