In the Buddhist tradition, the stupas began to be built as shrines for the preservation of the body remains of Buddha Shakyamuni about 2,500 years ago. After his death, his remains were divided into eight large stupas in eight countries. Seven of them were opened a few centuries later by King Ashoka, a great supporter of Buddhism, who wanted to redistribute the Buddha's remains and bring blessings to as many places in his empire as possible. According to traditional texts, Ashoka had 84,000 degrees built for the precious Buddha relics, and many of them can still admire his famous stone columns with a carved message. With the spread of Buddhism to Tibet and other countries, stupas began to be built in many parts of Asia. Their architecture changed, but the purpose remained the same - to provide immediate access to the blessings of the Buddha and his advanced disciples. Tibetan lamas, who had to study the tradition of building and filling stupas for several years, built thousands and thousands of these monuments in Tibet and other countries. After many holders of this rare tradition were forced to leave their homeland after the Chinese occupation of Tibet, Tibetan-style stupas began to be built around the world.