Sanchi

Why Sanchi is famous

• •On the 200-rupee note: One source: the Great Stupa appears on the reverse of the Indian 200-rupee note, and the Sanchi torana together with the Sarnath lion capital informed national symbolism.

History at a glance

1. 3rd century BCE
   Ashoka commissions a hemispherical BRICK stupa over relics of the Buddha, crowned by a chatra, and erects a polished sandstone pillar beside it carrying the Schism Edict. One source says his wife Queen Devi oversaw the work.
2. 2nd century BCE
   The Ashokan stupa is vandalised.
3. 2nd-1st century BCE
   The Sungas encase the brick stupa in stone, flatten the dome near the top, add three superimposed parasols within a square railing, and build the circular drum and double staircase for circumambulation. They also construct Stupas 2 and 3.
4. 1st century BCE - 1st century CE
   The four toranas and the encircling balustrade are added, densely carved with Jataka tales and scenes from the Buddha's life — rendered ANICONICALLY, through symbols rather than a human figure.
5. 5th century CE
   Temple 17 is built — a small flat-roofed shrine with a pillared porch, often cited as one of the earliest surviving free-standing structural temples in India. A Gupta-period inscription in ornamental Sankha Lipi is added to Ashoka's pillar.
6. Until the 12th century CE
   Sanchi remains a major centre of Buddhism in India.
7. After the 12th century
   Sanchi is abandoned and its monuments fall into disrepair.
8. 1818
   British General Henry Taylor comes upon the site and documents his findings.
9. 19th century
   The bone relics of Sariputta and Mahamoggallana, with their reliquaries, are obtained by MAISEY AND CUNNINGHAM, DIVIDED BETWEEN THEM AND TAKEN TO ENGLAND AS PERSONAL TROPHIES. Maisey's family later sells them to the Victoria and Albert Museum.
10. 1881
    Restoration work begins.
11. 1912-1919
    Sir John Hubert Marshall, Director-General of the ASI, undertakes systematic conservation, restoring the gateways and railings. An archaeological museum is established.
12. 1940
    Marshall publishes THE MONUMENTS OF SANCHI in three volumes — described by one source as the definitive study.
13. 1947
    Relics of Sariputta and Moggallana are sent to Sri Lanka and publicly displayed. ONE SOURCE SAYS ALMOST THE ENTIRE POPULATION OF SRI LANKA VISITED THEM.
14. 1952
    The relics are returned to India and relocated to the newly built CHETHIYAGIRI VIHARA at Sanchi, through the efforts of the Mahabodhi Society.
15. 1989
    The Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi are inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site under criteria i, ii, iii, iv and vi.

Best time to visit