Stupa is a Sanskrit word meaning a burial mound shaped like a hair knot.
After the passing of Buddha (Maha Pari Nirvana, or great complete Enlightenment), the Buddha’s remains were cremated and the bones and ashes distributed to number of places, where they were enshrined in Stupas.
The relics enshrined in the Stupa above San Francisco Buddhist Church were gifts from the Royal Court of Thailand. They were brought to the United States in August 1935 by then-Bishop Kenju Masuyama. These are relics of Shakyamuni Buddha and his two outstanding disciples (Sariputra and Mongallana).
The Stupa is regarded as the most important religious building in Indian Buddhist history.
Stupa was later known as Pagoda and Dagoba in other Asian Buddhist countries.