Stupa means a mound. There are several kinds of stupas-round and tall, big and small. But these have certain common features, generally there is a small box which is known as ‘relic casket’ and placed at the centre or heart of the stupa. This may contain bodily remains such as teeth, bone or ashes of the Buddha or his followers or things they used, as well as precious stones and coins.
Around the stupa, the path is known as the ‘pradakshina patha’. Devotees walked around the stupa in a clockwise direction, as a mark of devotion. Amaravati was a place where a magnificent stupa once existed.