Meaning ‘gateway’ or ‘arched entrance’ in Sanskrit and Pali, torana refers to a free-standing gateway marking the entrance to a Buddhist shrine or stupa, or a Hindu temple. Usually made of stone, it comprises two pillars supporting two or three transverse beams extending beyond the pillars on both sides, or an ornamented arch forming a single structure. The oldest surviving Buddhist torana is at the Bharhut Stupa, dated to c. 250 BCE.
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