Although scholarly terminology should have clear meanings as signs, Korean pagoda terminology has become jargon and is creating difficulties in communicating meanings which are far from the originally intended meanings; this terminology is sometimes notated in dead language, meaning old Chinese characters, or Japanese styled Chinese characters. Nobody has asked questions on the terminology itself which has long been commonly used for a century, since the Japanese-ruling period. One of the main reasons for this error is that the Indian Buddhist scriptures in Sanskrit has been translated into Chinese with vague understanding of form and meaning of stupa since 3rd Century A.D. On the other hand, the English-language terminology, already built by Indology scholars since the beginning of the 20th century, consists of easier language and clearer meanings. This paper examines misunderstanding and mistranslation of the original Indian stupa terms and suggests new terminology in current, easier language.

Thisstudy aimstodiscoverhistoricaltrendsandchangeofform ofallstupasin India with observation of field study thatis as directas possible,by classifying, analyzing, andsynthesizing thestupas.Study ofIndianstupainKoreahasanumber ofshortcomings since only introductory partialapproach has been made in orderto seek the origin ofKorean pagoda.This study also aims to correcterrors ofstupa terminology in Chinese character committed by misinterpretation of Hindilanguage whichwasestablishedbyprecedentJapanesescholarsseveraldecadesago. Piled-up stupasweretotally destroyed by pagans,thereforetheirremainstellus only ofstructure,material,sizeand disposition.Howeverremains ofcarved stone at torana and drum give us clues as to the originalform ofstupa and worshipping activity,aswellaschangetoamoreluxuriousform. Many rock cavestupasofIndiashow usboth simpleformsmatching theascetic age ofearly Buddhism and luxurious changes in Mahayanan era introducing us to statuesofBuddha.Indiansrecoveredthesphericform of'anda,'aHinditerm meaning cosmic egg,from the hemispheric form ofthe piled-up stupa. Therefore we might discardtheerraticterm of'bokbal',whichmeansanupsetvessel. Railingsandparasolsbecamemainfactorsofstupadesign.Carvedrailingsaround stupabecameasignofdivinity.Seriousworshippingactivitymadedrumslongorhigh and created multi-embossed stripes.Bases ofcircular drums of some cave stupas changedtheirshapestorectangularoroctagonal.Singleparasolsbecamemultiparasols ofaffluentflowerlike curved stems on carved stupa.Multistoried,elongated and high parasolsofGandharastupasareclosely related tosuch factorsasdiversechangesof form in Indian subcontinent.Four-sided toranagateand ayakacolumn ofthecircular form oforiginalstupassuggesttherectangularform ofsubsequentEastAsianpagoda, and higher and wider base of Indian stupas became the origin of East Asian rectangularpagoda.