Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh

How to Reach There
Air: Nearest airport is at Bhopal .

Rail: Sanchi lies on the Jhansi-Itarsi section of the Central Railway. However, the most Convenient railhead is Vidisha (10 km).

Road: Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior, Vidisha and Raisen.

The Sanchi Stupa 1, was originally built by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka, the then governor of Ujjayini, whose wife Devi was the daughter of a merchant from adjacent Vidisha. Their son Mahindra and daughter Sanghamitra were born in Ujjayini and sent to Sri Lanka, where they converted the king, the queen and their people to Buddhism.

What to see
The Four Gateways: Early Buddhist art has no finer expression than these toranas that surround the Great Stupa. The Buddha, according to the tenets of early Buddhist art, is portrayed in symbols: the lotus representing his birth, the tree his enlightenment, the wheel, derived from the title of his first sermon, the footprints and throne symbolising his presence. These have been carved with such inspired intensity and imagery that, taken together with the surrounding figures, they are considered the finest of all Buddhist toranas, and counter-balance the massive solidity of the stupa they encircle.

The Eastern Gateway: Depicts the young prince, Gautama, leaving his father’s palace on his journey towards enlightenment and the dream his mother had before his birth.

The Western Gateway: Depicts the seven incarnation of the Buddha.

The Southern Gateway: The birth of Gautam is revealed in a series of dramatically rich carvings.

Great Stupa No 1: The oldest stone structure in India, 36.5 m in diameter and 16.4 m high, and with a massive hemispherical dome, the stupa stands in eternal majesty, the paved procession path around it worn smooth by centuries of pilgrims.

Stupa No . 2 .This stupa stands at the very edge of the hill and its most striking feature is the stone balustrade that rings it.

Stupa No.3. Situated close to the Great Stupa. The hemispherical dome is crowned, as a mark of its special religious significance, with an umbrella of polished stone. The relics of Sariputta and Mahamogallena, two of the Buddha’s earliest disciples, were found in its inmost chamber.

The Ashoka Pillar : Lies close to the southern gateway of the Great Stupa, and is one of the finest examples of the Ashokan pillar and is known for its aesthetic proportions and exquisite structural balance.

The Buddhist Vihara: The sacred relics of the Satdhara Stupa, a few km away from Sanchi, have been enshrined in a glass casket on a platform in the inner sanctum of this modern monastery.

The Great Bowl: Carved out of one block of stone, this mammoth bowl contained the food that was distributed among the monks of Sanchi

The Gupta Temple: In ruins now, this 5th century A.D. temple is one of the earliest known examples of temple architecture in India.

The Museum: The Archaeological Survey of India maintains a site museum at Sanchi. Noteworthy antiquities on display include the lion capital of the Ashokan pillar and metal objects used by the monks, discovered during excavation at Sanchi.