An intriguing post, @slowwalker - the monument inscriptions were so faded the site caretakers needed to provide illustrative templates.

What immediately leapt to mind was the centuries it took wind and rain to erode the stone.

In addition to containing relics, these stupas are often used for purposes of meditation and I could think of no deeper meditation than to contemplate time's passage and human mortality.

A simple yet profound post, my friend.