This thesis seeks to explore the development of East Asian architecture based on its borrowings from the Indian stupa. While it has been agreed by many scholars that some features of East Asian religious architecture have been strongly influenced by the symbolic architecture of the stupa, this is the first known study to identify three distinct architectural “families” coming from India to East Asia. These families have been identified through careful analysis in archaeological, anthropological, historical, and religious studies. The first lineage extends through Indonesia and Indo-China. The second is mainly seen to extend through Burma; both families meet together in Thai architecture. The third lineage extends across north and central Asia. All the lineages are demonstrated to be imbued by an ancient and sacred symbolism, which is found in each nation and is believed responsible for the magnificent structures that have come to define East Asian architecture.