Torana

Torana at the great stupa of Sanchi.

Torana (Skt. toraṇa; Tib. རྟ་བབས་, tabab, Wyl. rta babs) — a decorative tympanum or archway found in Indian architecture. Sometimes it is found above the doors and is then very much similar to a tympanum. In other cases however, as with the torana of the Sanchi stupa, it is more like an arc de triomphe. The Tibetans have translated the term as 'tabab', which literally means the place where you descend from your horse.

Alternative Translations

• Tympanum
• Porch
• Archway