The Buddha emphasized that one should seek deliverance through one’s own efforts throughout his lifetime. The Buddha advised disciples to accept the dharma as their guide and themselves as their own refuge.  The great mass of people, however, came to regard him more as a divine being than a human teacher and considered his compassion or karuna as the saviour.  The faith in compassion or karuna, led to the cult of worshipping the Buddha. In the beginning, his relics were taken as objects of worship.  Gradually the image of the Buddha occupied the central place in Buddhist worship and eventually led to the construction of a large number of stupas and icons of votive offerings of the pilgrims – a tangible expression of devotion.