Located just 46 kms. from Bhopal,
Sanchi is a small town of the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.
Significant for its history and archeology, Sanchi is a religious place
known for its Stupas, monasteries, temples and pillars dating from the 3rd
century BC to the 12th century AD.
History Unfolds
The the Sanchi Stupa 1, the most famed of all the monuments here, was
originally built by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka. Though Sanchi is not
directly to the life of Lord Buddha, it is associated to Buddhism. The place
is more related to King Ashoka than to Lord Buddha. Ashoka built the first
Stupa and put up many pillars here. The famous Ashokan iron pillar, with
four lions standing back to back, has been endorsed as the national emblem
of India.
Sanchi embraced Buddhism, which replaced the pre dominant Hinduism. But, in
due course of time, slowly both the Stupas and the place were abandoned. It
was during 1818, when Sanchi was refound and gradually historical and the
religious importance of the place was recognized. Restoration work of the
Stupas started in 1881 and finally between 1912 and 1919 these were
attentively reformed and restored. It was accepted that the structure at
Sanchi were the most organised construction which went into the engineering
of temples in the medieval era. The carvings of the place are done with the
correctness of Jewellers.
The Stupa
