Sanchi facts for kids

Sanchi Stupa

The Sanchi Stupa is a famous ancient building in India. You can find it in the town of Sanchi, in the state of Madhya Pradesh. It's about 46 kilometers (28 miles) northeast of Bhopal, the capital city. This Great Stupa at Sanchi is one of the oldest stone buildings in India. It's a very important monument for Indian history and architecture.

Emperor Ashoka ordered this stupa to be built way back in the 3rd century BCE. A stupa is like a dome-shaped mound. The first Sanchi Stupa was a simple dome made of brick. It was built to hold and honor the relics (special remains) of the Buddha. On top, it had a chatra, which looked like a parasol. This symbol showed its high importance.

Emperor Ashoka himself watched over the first building work. His wife, Devi, was from a nearby town called Vidisha. Sanchi was her hometown and where she married Ashoka. Later, around the 1st century BCE, four beautifully carved toranas (ornamental gateways) were added. A stone fence, called a balustrade, was also built around the whole structure. The first Sanchi Stupa was made of bricks during the Mauryan period. This important site continued to be used and improved until the 11th century.

Sanchi is also surrounded by other ancient stupas. These include sites like Satdhara, Morel Khurd, and Andher, all just a few miles away.

What is a Stupa?
Who Built the Sanchi Stupa?
- Later Additions and Changes
What Do the Carvings Show?
- Important Carvings to See
Other Buildings at Sanchi
Discovery and Restoration
Images for kids

What is a Stupa?

A stupa is a special kind of dome-shaped building. It was built to keep important relics of the Buddha or other holy people. These relics could be bones, ashes, or even things they used. Stupas are places for meditation and respect in Buddhism. People often walk around them in a clockwise direction.

Who Built the Sanchi Stupa?

The first part of the Great Stupa was built by Emperor Ashoka. He was a powerful ruler in India during the 3rd century BCE. He became a Buddhist and wanted to spread the Buddha's teachings. Building stupas like Sanchi helped him do this.

Later Additions and Changes

Over many years, the Sanchi Stupa was made bigger and more beautiful.

Shunga Period: After Ashoka, the Sungas took over. They almost doubled the size of the original brick stupa. They covered it with stone and added a strong stone balustrade (fence) and a railing around it.
Satavahana Period: Later, the Satavahanas added the famous gateways, called toranas. These gateways are covered with amazing carvings. They tell stories from the Buddha's life and show scenes of everyday life.

What Do the Carvings Show?

The carvings on the gateways (toranas) at Sanchi are like ancient comic books! They show many stories without words.

Buddha's Life: Many carvings show events from the Buddha's life. But instead of showing the Buddha himself, they use symbols. For example, a wheel might represent his teachings, or a tree might represent his enlightenment. This is called aniconism.
Jataka Tales: Some carvings tell stories from the Jataka tales. These are stories about the Buddha's past lives.
Everyday Life: You can also see carvings of people, animals, and plants. They show what life was like in ancient India. Some carvings even show foreigners, which tells us about connections with other cultures.

Important Carvings to See

Temptation of the Buddha: This carving shows the Buddha's struggle against evil forces.
War over the Buddha's Relics: This scene shows a fight over the Buddha's remains after he passed away.
King Ashoka's Visit: One carving shows Emperor Ashoka visiting a place to get relics.
Foreigners: Look closely, and you might spot figures in foreign clothes, playing different musical instruments. This shows how diverse ancient India was.

Other Buildings at Sanchi

Besides the Great Stupa, there are other interesting buildings at Sanchi.

Stupa No. 2 and No. 3: There are other smaller stupas with their own unique carvings.
Temples: You can also see ancient temples, like Temple 17. This temple was built during the Gupta period (around the 5th century CE) and looks like classical Greek or Roman temples.
Pillars: There are remains of Ashokan pillars with special messages carved on them. One famous pillar has a lion capital, which is now in a museum.

Discovery and Restoration

For many centuries, the Sanchi Stupa was forgotten and covered by nature.

Rediscovery: In 1818, a British officer named General Taylor rediscovered the site.
Early Excavations: Later, in the 1800s, archaeologists like Sir Herbert Maddock and Alexander Cunningham explored the site. They found many important artifacts.
Restoration: In the early 20th century, a major restoration project was started by Sir John Marshall. He carefully rebuilt parts of the stupas and temples. This work helped preserve Sanchi for future generations.

Today, the Sanchi Stupa is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a popular place for tourists and people interested in history and Buddhism.

Images for kids

Plan of the monuments of the hill of Sanchi, numbered 1 to 50.
The Ashoka pillar at Sanchi.
The Great Stupa under the Sungas. The Sungas nearly doubled the diameter of the initial stupa, encasing it in stone, and built a balustrade and a railing around it.
Mason's marks in Kharoshti indicate that craftsmen from the north-west were responsible for foreign reliefs of Stupa No. 2. This medallion was made circa 115 BCE.
Sunga period railings were initially blank (left: Great Stupa), and only started to be decorated circa 115 BCE with Stupa No.2 (right).
Sunga pillar No25 with own capital on the side.
Inscription "Vedisakehi daṃtakārehi rupakaṃmaṃ kataṃ" (𑀯𑁂𑀤𑀺𑀲𑀓𑁂𑀨𑀺 𑀤𑀁𑀢𑀓𑀸𑀭𑁂𑀨𑀺 𑀭𑀼𑀧𑀓𑀁𑀫𑀁 𑀓𑀢𑀁, "Ivory workers from Vidisha have done the carving").
The Great Stupa at the time of the Satavahanas.
Temptation of the Buddha, with the Buddha on the left (symbolized by his throne only) surrounded by rejoicing devotees, Mara and his daughters (center), and the demons of Mara fleeing (right).
War over the Buddha's Relics, kept by the city of Kushinagar, South Gate, Stupa no.1, Sanchi.
King Ashoka visits Ramagrama, to take relics of the Buddha from the Nagas, but he failed, the Nagas being too powerful. Southern gateway, Stupa 1, Southern Gateway, Sanchi.
Bodhi tree temple depicted in Sanchi, Stupa 1, Southern gateway.
Foreign devotees and musicians on the Northern Gateway of Stupa I.
Aniconism in Miracle at Kapilavastu: King Suddhodana praying as his son the Buddha rises in the air, praised by celestial beings (but only his path, the horizontal slab in the air, is visible).
"The promenade of the Buddha", or Chankrama, used to depict the Buddha in motion in Buddhist aniconism.
The Siri-Satakani inscription
This Sanchi relief permitted this reconstruction of the city of Kushinagara circa 500 BCE.
Jetavana story, Bharhut, 2nd century BCE.
Foreigners playing carnyxes and aulos flute at Sanchi (detail).
At the top of the panel, Maya's dream of the visit of an elephant, in Kapilavastu. See also Maya's Dream (in "The life of Buddha)".
The Mahakapi Jataka in Bharhut.
Stupas and monasteries at Sanchi in the early centuries of the current era. Reconstruction, 1900
Sanchi inscription of Chandragupta II.
Temple 17: a Gupta period tetrastyle prostyle temple of Classical appearance. 5th century CE
Pillar 26: one of the two four-lions stambha capitals at Sanchi, with lions, central flame palmette and Wheel of Law (axis, stubs of the spokes and part of the circumference only), initially located at the Northern Gateway of the Great Stupa. Sanchi Archaeological Museum.
Pillar 26: lion pillar capital at time of discovery, with Dharmachakra wheel (reconstruction). Northern Gateway.
Pillar 35 column stump (right), and bell capital with abacus, positioned upside down.
Vajrapani statue of pillar 35, 5th c. CE. Sanchi Archaeological Museum.
Temple 18 at Sanchi, an apsidal hall with Maurya foundations, rebuilt at the time of Harsha (7th century CE).
The Great Stupa as breached by Sir Herbert Maddock in 1822. Watercolor by Frederick Charles Maisey, in 1851.
Ruins of the Southern Gateway, Sanchi in 1875.
A Gate to the Stupa of Sanchi 1932
Chetiyagiri Vihara
Inscribed panel from Sanchi in Brahmi script in the British Museum
The last two letters to the right of this inscription in Brahmi form the word "dǎnam" (donation). This hypothesis permitted the decipherment of the Brahmi script by James Prinsep in 1837.
General view of the Stupas at Sanchi by F.C. Maisey, 1851 (The Great Stupa on top of the hill, and Stupa 2 at the forefront)
The Great Stupa (Stupa No.1), started in the 3rd century BCE
Stupa No.2
Stupa No.3
Buddhist Temple, No.17
Remains of the Ashokan Pillar in polished stone (right of the Southern Gateway), with its Edict.
Sanchi Minor Pillar Edict of Ashoka, in-situ (detail of the previous image).
Remains of the shaft of the pillar of Ashoka, under a shed near the Southern Gateway.
Side view of the capital. Sanchi Archaeological Museum.
Shunga balustrade and staircase.
Shunga stonework.
Shunga vedika (railing) with inscriptions.
Deambulatory pathway.
Summit railing and umbrellas.
Flame palmette.
Flame palmette and lotus.
Peacock.
Woman riding a Centaur.
Lotus.
Half lotus.
Lion.
Elephant.
Elephant with branch.
Floral motif.
Foreigner on a horse. The medallions are dated circa 115 BCE.
Griffin with Brahmi script inscription.
Female riding a Centaur.
Lotus within beads and reels motif.
Stairway and railing.
Lotus medallions.
Floral designs.
Post relief.
Relics of Sariputra and Mahamoggallana.
Foreigner on a horse, circa 115 BCE, Stupa No2.
Detail of the foreigners, in Greek dress and playing carnyxes and aolus flute. Northern Gateway of Stupa I (detail).
Foreigners holding grapes and riding winged lions, Sanchi Stupa 1, Eastern Gateway.
Foreign horseriders, Southern Gateway of Stupa 3.
Foreigner with headband fighting a Makara. Southern Gateway of Stupa 3.
Foreigners on horses, wearing headbands, caps and boots. Western gate of Stupa 1.
Foreign heroe fighting a Makara
Hero with headband wrestling a Makara.
Foreigners riding horses.
Indians riding horses.
Indians riding bulls.
Indians riding bulls.
Queen Maya lustrated by Elephants.
The Buddha represented by the Dharmacakra.
Bodhi Tree.
Winged lion.
Winged lions.
The Buddha represented by the Dharmacakra.
Men and Women on Elephants.
Men and Women on Elephants.
Stupa representing a Buddha.
Lakshmi lustrated by Elephants.
Men on lions.
Men on lions.
2nd panel
3rd panel
Second panel
Bottom panel Dvarapala guardian deity or devotee.
Second panel
Second panel
Bottom panel Dvarapala guardian deity or devotee.
2nd panel
3rd panel
A Seated Buddha statue (Gupta temple).
Buddha Statue (Great Stupa).
Seated Buddha (Great Stupa).
Statue of Padmapani (5th c.or 9th c.) Victoria and Albert Museum.
Pillar 34 with lion.
The winged lion capital of pillar 34 (lost).
Great Stupa, Eastern Gateway, in 1875.
West Gateway in 1882.
South Gateway in 1882.
Great Stupa, Northern Gateway in 1861.
Temple 18 in 1861.
A vision of ancient Indian court life, using motifs from Sanchi (wood engraving, 1878).

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Sanchi Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.