Sanchi

Sanchi, a major Buddhist hilltop complex  located 46 km north east of Bhopal, and 10 km from Besnagar or Vidisha in the central part of the state of Madhya Pradesh, is famous for its group of stupas, monasteries, temples and pillars.

Dating from the 3rd century BC to the12th century AD, these are the best preserved and most studied Buddhist sites in India.

Designated by the UNESCO as a World Heritage site for its archaeological and historical importance, it was Ashoka, the Great Maurya Emperor who built the first stupa and a monolithic pillar (3rd century BC ) here.

A great number of stupas and other structures such as railings, elaborately carved gateways, Buddha images etc were added over the succeeding centuries. 

The great stupa also called Sanchi Stupa1 is the most famous of the stupa's in Sanchi. The majestic stupa, 36.5 mts in diameter and 16.4 mts high, with its massive hemispherical dome is one of the oldest stone structures in India. Originally built by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka, the whole structure was rebuilt in its present larger form, in the middle of the 2nd century BC. The original brick stupa was enclosed within a stone encasing in the 3rd century BC. 

The last of the additions to this remarkable stupa are the elaborate and magnificently carved four gateways or 'Toranas', considered as the finest works of art at Sanchi and also the finest examples of Buddhist art in India. A railing encircles the stupa, its basic model consists of two upright pillars (8.5 meters high) that are  square in shape joined by three horizontal beams or architraves with volute ends. Built in 35 BC, during the reign of the Satavahanans, these gateways are beautifully covered and carry explicit carvings which depict scenes mainly from the earlier lives of the Buddha (jataka), along with decorative elements like depiction of religious subjects, elephants or pot-bellied dwarves, a set of four lions, auspicious emblems, 'vriksha devatas' (symbolising different types of trees) etc. 

Here, the Buddha is portrayed in symbols: the lotus representing his birth, the tree his enlightenment, the wheel derived from the title of his first sermon, the footmarks and throne representing his presence. These have been carved with such inspired intensity and imagery that, taken together with the surrounding figures, they are considered to counter-balance the massive solidity of the stupa they encircle.