This gilt stupa is hammered with a circular base which has a long Sanskrit inscription incised around the perimeter.  The main dome of the stupa (anda) has an applied register of stylized lotus along the bottom.  The dome is surmounted by a square harmika incised with the Eyes of Buddha representing Wisdom and Compassion.  The graduated pinnacles on the top, within four toranas each decorated with auspicious Buddhist symbols, symbolize the thirteen stages of spiritual realizations needed to reach enlightenment.

Stupas form an important category in Himalayan Buddhist art, as they are memorials to the enlightenment of the historical Buddha Sakyamuni.  Approaching the end of his life, the Buddha asked that his remains be cremated and spread across the eight kingdoms of his followers in India and Nepal.  The form of the stupa was derived from the domed mounds of earth that entombed the relics of the Buddha, and for centuries before the development of iconic images of the Buddha the circumambulation or worship of the stupa was one of the ways to venerate Him.  Over time, the stupa assumed many forms across many cultures.  This scaled-down model in gilt-copper, possibly for a personal shrine, serves the same function of housing holy relics, but its higher purpose is to evoke the presence of the Buddha and his teachings. The dome at the base represents the entire world.  When a person awakes (represented by eyes of wisdom and compassion) from the bonds of the world, the person reaches the state of enlightenment.