1. Lotus Stupa [Padpung Tchörten]
Buddha's Birth in the Lumbini Garden at Kapilavastu in Northern India in the 6th Century BCE. According to the legends about this birth, the baby began to walk seven steps forward and at each step a lotus flower appeared on the ground.
Then, at the seventh stride, he stopped and with a noble voice shouted: »I am chief of the world, eldest am I in the world, foremost am I in the world. This is the last birth. There is now no more coming to be.«
2. The Stupa of the Descent from Tushita Heaven [Lhabab Tchörten]
The Buddha's mother, Mayadevi, was reborn in a heavenly realm called Tushita Heaven. She died before she could benefit from his redemptive teachings. The Buddha decided to travel to the heavenly realms to find her. He spent three months there, teaching her the path to enlightenment. The Buddha's subsequent descent from this realm back to earth is symbolised by the many steps of this stupa.
3. Enlightment [Dschangtschub Tchörten]
After 49 days of meditation under a Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya Buddha understood the true nature of all phenomena and realised that all sentient beings without sentient beings without exception have the same potential for enlightenment, the »Buddha nature«. The Enlightenment Stupa embodies the pivotal moment when Siddhartha Gautama, the future Buddha, achieved enlightenment beneath the Bodhi tree.
4. The Stupa of Turning the Wheel of Dharma [Tashi-Gomang Tchörten]
Teaching at Sarnath After attaining enlightenment at Bodh Gaya the Buddha went to Sarnath; and it was here that he preached his first discourse in the deer park to set in motion the »Wheel of the Dharma«. It is one of the most holy sites as in this place the stream of the Buddha's teaching first flowed. Above the entrance gate of almost all Tibetan Buddhist monasteries you can find today the wheel of dharma flanked by two gazelles.
5. The Great Miracle Stupa [Tschothrul Tchörten]
This stupa refers to various miracles performed by the Buddha at the age of 50. Legend has it that he overpowered the heretics from Mara sand by engaging them in intellectual arguments and also performed miracles. This stupa was erected by the kingdom of Lichavi to commemorate this event.
6. The Stupa of Reconciliation [Yendum Tchörten]
When the cousin of the Buddha, Devadatta, created a schism in the assembly of monks, Shariputra and Maudgalyayana, at the request of the Buddha, reconciled the monks. To commemorate this deed, the devoted people of Magadha built this type of stupa. It is also called a Ödzer Chorten (Radiant Stupa) or Jam-ngoe Chorten but is widely known as a Yendum Chorten. It has four octagonal steps which look like the shape formed by evenly cutting the corners of square steps
7. The Stupa of Complete Victory [Namgyal Tchörten]
The Namgyal or Victory Stupa which commemorates the time when Mara the Evil One tried to persuade the Buddha to pass away from the world by in fact using the Buddha’s teaching on impermanence to support his position. Instead of falling under Mara’s snare, the Buddha repudiated this request and banished Mara, thus achieving victory over Mara of Death. Buddha's prolonging of his life by three months after one of his disciples had pleaded him not to pass away.
8. Paranirvana: [Nyadek Tchörten]
Being eighty years old, Gautama Buddha have been passing down his knowledge of Nirvana for 45 years and travelling for most of the time, he became ill. Only Gautama Buddha cousin and Buddha disciples Ananda knew about it and while other Buddhist monks were sent to other places. Even with the great pain, Gautama Buddha started meditation, one of the important Buddhist practices and found great comfort. With his final words, the Buddha urged his followers to be diligent in their efforts to attain enlightenment.