Marlow Bottom Stupas

(Buddhist Shrines)

Location of the Marlow Bottom Stupas

The Marlow Bottom Stupas are located in Hollyhill Wood at the end of Marlow Bottom. There are two ways to get to the stupas:

From the end of Marlow Bottom, follow the footpath northwards until there is a field on your left and the start of Hollyhill Wood on your right. Look for the entrance into the wood and follow the path upwards.
From Old House Farm on Ragman's Lane, take the track eastwards until you reach the wood. The gateway to the stupas will be on your left.

There is a detailed OS map on Buckinghamshire's Heritage List site.

What are stupas?

In Buddhism a stupa is a mound-like or hemispherical structure used as a place of meditation and often containing relics, such as the bodily remains of monks or nuns.

History of Marlow Bottom Stupas

The 10 stupas on the path through the woods at the end of Marlow Bottom were built around 1996-2000 by Michael and Tina Choules, who lived in the cottage. Their inspiration for the Stupas came from a visit to Tibet, where they saw the Stupas and 'fell in love with them'.
The Marlow Bottom Stupas are therefore rooted in the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition.
The following inscriptions can be found on the wooden beam supporting the gateway, crediting the original builders:

M CHOULES: MONEY / LABOUR
T CHOULES: BUILDER FACTOTEM

A DREDGE: METAL WORK
H RIMMER: TIMBER

The following description of stupa symbolism has been displayed at the gate.

This description was closely copied from the below photograph of the original gateway sign (designed by Tina Choules) which went missing after a few years of being visible on the gateway.

The Ten Stupas

The series of 10 stupas starts on the path through the woods and finishes at the gate.

Stupa No. 1

Stupa No. 2

Stupa No. 3

Stupa No. 4

Stupa No. 5

Stupa No. 6

Stupa No. 7

Stupas 8, 9 and 10

Stupa Orientation

Each stupa is perfectly oriented to face the four directions: North, East, South and West. If you are on the path with the Stupas on your left, North will be roughly up the path toward the Gate, however you will see perfect North by simply inspecting the base of the stupa!

Om Mani Padme Hum

Is the great mantra of Chenrezig (aka Avalokitesvara), the Bodhisattva of Infinite Compassion, of which the current Dalai Lama (His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso) is the 14th reincarnation. He describes the meaning of Om Mani Padme Hum: "It is very good to recite the mantra Om mani padme hum, but while you are doing it, you should be thinking on its meaning, for the meaning of the six syllables is great and vast …. The first, OM … symbolizes the practitioner’s impure body, speech, and mind; it also symbolizes the pure exalted body, speech, and mind of a Buddha…. The path is indicated by the next four syllables. MANI, meaning jewel, symbolizes the … altruistic intention to become enlightened, compassionate and loving…. The two syllables, PADME, meaning lotus, symbolize wisdom…. Purity must be achieved by an indivisible unity of method and wisdom, symbolized by the final syllable HUM, which indicates indivisibility ...thus the six syllables mean that in dependence on the practice of a path which is an indivisible union of method and wisdom, you can transform your impure body, speech, and mind into the pure exalted body, speech, and mind of a Buddha"

It is the Tibetan Buddhist tradition to circumambulate the Stupas in a clockwise direction chanting 'Om Mani Padme Hum'. These circumambulations are normally done 1, 3, 7 or more times using always an odd number of counts.

Stupas 8 and 10 have small plaques with the mantra 'Om Mani Padme Hum' inscribed in the Tibetan script:

8th Stupa

10th Stupa

Om Mani Padme Hum in Tibetan. This sacred mantra is placed on Stupas throughout Tibet

Tibetan Prayer Flags

Tibetan prayer flags promote peace, wisdom, compassion, and strength. They are covered in Tibetan Buddhist Mantras which are blown by the wind to spread goodwill and compassion for all sentient beings. The prayer flags are left unhemmed so these mantras physically are blown away over time, also representing the impermanence of all things. Old flags should never be thrown away, if needed they can be burnt on a fire to release the remaining prayers, or they can be left hanging with new ones added over the top.

The five colours used for prayer flags are in this specific order: blue (sky or space), white (air or clouds), red (fire), green (water), yellow (earth).

These colours are also painted in sequence on most of the stupas. When you walk around the Stupa in a clockwise direction, you will pass the colours in the specific order mentioned above.

More Stupa Symbolism

If you compare the below picture with the Marlow Bottom Stupas, you will see how carefully they have been designed by Tina, as they accurately represent a remarkable amount of Tibetan Stupa Symbolism. for example, all the Marlow Bottom Stupas have the 13 disks.