Buddhist Monuments At Sanchi

We continued our onward journey with a trip to the Sanchi on the Buddhist leg of our journey. The Sanchi Stupa is amongst the three famous World Heritage Sites in the state of Madhya Pradesh. It is located just fifty Kilometers from Bhopal. On reaching there, you will see that Sanchi is a small village in Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh and is famous all over the world for Stupa.
You will find the Stupa nestled on a hill. On reaching the top of the hill you will be treated to the most picturesque and breathtaking views of the surrounding plains. The Stupa is enclosed in beautiful gardens. These gardens provide a serene green tinge to the entire complex.

When you look at the Stupa, you are immediately awe struck by its imposing structure upon entering the complex. The Stupa is in the shape of a hemispherical brick structure which was built over the relics of the Buddha. The onus of building this Stupa was initiated by emperor Asoka the Great in the 3rd century BCE. You will be able to enter the stupa from its four Thorans or gateways as they are called. These gateways are placed strategically in four different directions. It is on these majestic gateways that you will be able to admire the beautiful carvings of the Stupa which depict the various Jataka tales or the life of Buddha and his past births.

When it was rediscovered in 1818, lots of people gathered here to hunt for its treasure and also to locate the ashes of the enlightened one. There is no entrance to the Stupa and lots of underground digging was undertaken to figure out what exactly lies under this mammoth structure. These Stupas once served as the abode of the monks since the surrounding hills provided them with an excellent place to meditate. It was in 1989 that the Sanchi became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.