The first sacred space was the stupa. When the Buddha was cremated, his ashes were placed under a mound at a crossroads and when removed, they were distributed among various Buddhist groups. Hardy says different sources give different numbers. Some say there were 8, others 11, and others say there were 12 Buddhist groups. Each group is said to have enshrined their part of the Buddha's cremated body in a stupa. Legend has it that King Ashoka divided the cremated body of the Buddha and distributed it to 84,000 stupas throughout his kingdom. Monuments were built to mark important moments of the Buddha. Some of the examples of important moments of the Buddha are where the Buddha was born or where he gave his first sermon. Ashoka then began the ritual of pilgrimage to these places. Over time, large temples were built around the stupas. After a while, stupas were also built to house the cremated or mummified body of a famous monk who died during deep meditation. What was built around the stupas were carved stone balustrades. The sculptures tell the life of the Buddha and the Jataka tales. When people walk around the gates, they recreate the experiences of the events and make them feel like they are actually there. The Buddha is kept alive through these sculptures and sacred places. Hardy also states that another form of sacred space is the mountain. She writes that there are legendaries