Harmika
Topic: Early Indian Art and Architecture: Stupas, Rock-cut Caves, Temples · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 4 "Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings"
Meaning
The harmika is a small balcony-like structure on top of the anda, the big round mound of a stupa. Buddhists saw it as the abode of the gods, the place where the gods live. It belongs to the stupas built across India from about the 3rd century BCE onward. It matters because it links the earthly mound with the heavens. A mast called the yashti rises from it, and the yashti carries a chhatri, or umbrella.
Example
The Great Stupa at Sanchi (Madhya Pradesh) has a harmika on top of its anda. It forms part of the classic sequence anda → harmika → yashti → chhatri.
Don't confuse with
- Anda: the anda is the round mound itself, which holds the relics. The harmika is the small structure that sits on top of it.