| Sanchi Stupa |
| Sanchi is a serene hill crowned by a group of stupas, monasteries, temples and pillars dating from 3rd century BC to 12th century AD. Stupas are large hemispherical domes, containing a central chamber, in which the relics of the Buddha were placed. Sanchi stupas trace the development of the Buddhist architecture and sculpture at the same location. Sanchi is 9 km from Vidisha and 68 km from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh. The major attractions of Sanchi include a number of Buddhist stupas, monasteries, temples and pillars. |
|
 |
|
| Sanchi is famous for outstanding specimen of Buddhist art and architecture, belonging to the period between the third century BC and the twelfth century AD. Emperor Ashoka built the Stupa at Sanchi the central chamber of which contains relics of Buddha. Sanchi is a religious place with historical and Archaeological significance. Sanchi is a site for the numerous stupas which were built on a hill top. The place is related to Buddhism but not directly to the life of Buddha. It is more related to Ashoka than to Buddha. Ashoka built the first stupa and put up many pillars here. The region near Sanchi is one of the richest in archaeological and historical remains in the entire country. The most important of all the Sanchi monuments is the Sanchi Stupa. Stupas are large hemispherical domes, containing a central chamber, in which the relics of the Buddha were placed. |
|
| The top of the Asoka pillar, which comprises of four lions, has been kept in the museum maintained by the Department of Archaeology. The size and the weight of the pillar point to advanced construction technology that was existent at the time of Asoka. It must have been an incredible feat of engineering to bring the stone for carving the pillar from the mine to Sanchi and installing it up the hill. |
|
 |
|
| The 'Great Stupa' at Sanchi was originally commissioned by the emperor Ashoka the Great in the third century BCE. Its nucleus was a simple hemispherical brick structure built over the relics of the Buddha. It was crowned by the chatra, a parasol-like structure symbolising high rank, which was intended to honour and shelter the relics. The four gateways, or toranas, are the finest works of art at Sanchi and are among the finest examples of Buddhist art in India. The gateways were erected c. 35 BCE. The scenes carved into the pillars and their triple architraves are of episodes in the various lives of the Buddha. |
|
| The great monkey, six-tusked elephant jataka, the vessantra jataka, the sama jataka , are the great stories of the buddha in his previous birth which are sculptured on the some of the panels on the gateways of the stupa. Siddhartha Gautama (c. 563 - 483 BCE) was the son of a local ruler. At the age of 29, he decided that life was a cheat, and he renounced the world. After his enlightenment, Buddha, or "the enlightened one," came to Sarnath, near Benares, where he preached his first sermon. A stupa was built on the spot in the 3rd Century BCE. |
|
A nearly perfect hemispherical dome, the Great Stupa is topped by a triple "parasol" set within a square railing or harmika. A third of the way up from its base, a raised terrace, enclosed by a fence, is meant for ritual circumambulation of the monument. A second, stone-paved procession-path at ground-level is enclosed by an encircling stone balustrade. This path is accessed from the cardinal directions through four exquisitely carved gateways. The Great Stupa is 120 feet across (36.6 meters) and, excluding the railing and umbrella, is 54 feet high (16.46 meters). Stupas may be made of brick, brick and rubble, or encased in masonry.
The present stupa encases an earlier one of about half its present dimensions. The earlier one, built of large burnt bricks and mud, has been attributed to the Emperor Ashoka, the main reasons being that the level of its floor is the same, and that the bricks used in it resemble those in other Ashokan structures.
The glory that was Sanchi, an ancient place of pilgrimage, can still be experienced in its complex structures where many Buddhist legends found |
 |
|
| expression in the rich sculpture. The Buddha is not represented through figures at Sanchi, but through symbols, as was the tradition in the early period of Buddhism. The lotus represents the Buddha's birth, the tree signifies his enlightenment, the wheel represents his nirvana or salvation. |
| |
| The holy place is located 46 km north east of Bhopal, and 10 km from Besnagar and Vidisha in the central part of the state of Madhya Pradesh. |
| |
| To get there |
| Sanchi is connected to Bhopal. By road which is 46 kilometers away via Diwanganj and 78 kilometers away via Raisen. To get to this site one must reach Bhopal, which is well connected by air, rail and road to Delhi, Mumbai, Gwalior and Indore, and thereafter use the motorable road to Sanchi. |
 |