What's the difference between Chortens, Stupas and Gompas?
Glad you asked because I'm still trying to sort that out for myself.
Let's get with our friend Wikipedia and sort it out:
Gompas are Buddhist temples (typically forming monasteries or nunneries, Sanskrit name vihara), located in Tibet, Ladakh (India), Nepal, and Bhutan. Their design and interior details vary from region to region, however, all follow a general layout of a central prayer hall containing a Buddha statue, benches for the monks or nuns to engage in prayer or meditation and attached living accommodation. The gompa may also be accompanied by any number of stupas.
A stupa (from the Pāli) is a type of Buddhist structure found across the Indian subcontinent, Asia and increasingly in the Western World. Stupas are known in many Southeast Asian countries as chedi (from a Pāli synonym of stupa); in some countries (particularly Sri Lanka) as dagoba (from Sanskrit dhatu- element, component, or relic + garbha - storehouse or repository); or as tope (from Hindi top, derived from Sanskrit stūpa, a heap).
Fundamentally, a stupa is essentially made up of the following five constituents:
a). A square base
b). A hemispherical dome
c). A conical spire
d). A crescent moon
e). A circular disc
Each of these components is rich in metaphoric content and is identified with one of the five cosmic elements said to make up the entire manifested existence. These are earth, water, fire, air and space.
Chorten is the regional name for a stupa in both Tibet and Bhutan and as my mother and I like to remind each other one must be sure to walk clockwise around the chortens!
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