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Sanchi

Area Code: 07482

Sanchi, 47km northeast of Bhopal, has the best-preserved Buddhist stupas in India. The Buddhist monuments and sculptures were constructed between the 3rd century BC and the 13th century. The fine quality of Sanchi’s sculptured panels makes them unique in the entire world. This place is not associated with Buddha’s life, but it is important because of the impressive Buddhist monuments located here.

The most interesting places to see are: Stupas 1, 2, and 3, Monasteries 45 and 51, and the Gupta temple (17). In early Buddhism, the Buddha would not be seen in a bodily form and would be depicted through different symbols. Birth is symbolized by a lotus, enlightenment by a bo tree, preaching by the wheel of law, death by stupas, and the first sermon at Deer Park would be symbolized by a deer. Footprints, an empty throne, a stupa, a tree, or a wheel may re-present the Buddha.

Information
Sanchi is a small village with few facilities.
There is a good Sanchi guidebook written by Debala Mitra and published by the Archaeological Survey, describing the site in detail.

Bicycles can be rented for Rs 3 per hour, handy for a trip to Vidisha (10km) or Udaigiri (14km).
The site is open from 10 am to 5 pm (sometimes to 6 pm in the winter). It is possible to see all the monuments in two or three hours.

Archaeological Museum
This museum has a good collection of sculptures from around the site. It has an interesting Ashoka pillar topped with a “Lion Capital,” which serves as the emblem of the Indian Republic. It is similar to the one found in Sarnath.
There are also Hindu sculptures of Vishnu, Lakshmi, Ganesh, and others. Open daily 10 am to 5 pm.

Great Stupa (Stupa 1)
Emperor Ashoka built the foundation of the Great Stupa sometime during the 3rd century BC. A century later it was enlarged and covered with stone. It is 37m (122 ft) in diameter and 16m (52 ft) tall. It is one of the finest examples of Buddhist art in India. It is the Buddhist custom to walk around stupas clockwise.

There are four elaborately carved gateways (toranas) dating to about 450 AD. The gates have two pillars joined by three cross beams. Four statues of Buddha in meditation were installed, one facing each gateway. The four entrances are staggered to keep out evil spirits who are believed to travel only in a straight line. The carvings on the gateways depict Buddha’s life and the tales of the Jataka (stories about the Buddha’s past lives).

The North Gate has carvings depicting Buddha’s pastimes in the Jataka. A Wheel of Law tops it. Buddha walks on water with flames emanating from his feet. A monkey offers a bowl of honey to the Buddha, who is symbolized by a Bo tree.
The East Gate shows Siddharta Gautama (the Buddha as a young prince) starting on his search for enlightenment, symbolized by a riderless horse. It also shows his mother’s dream before Gautama’s birth, of an elephant standing on the moon. On the left pillar he is seen walking on water.

The South Gate shows Gautama’s birth. It also shows scenes of Ashoka’s life as a Buddhist.
The West Gate depicts the Buddha’s seven incarnations. He is depicted as a tree four times, and as a stupa. He had six previous incarnations before he appeared as the Buddha. In a previous incarnation, he took the form of a six-tusked elephant. On the back of the gateway are scenes of the Buddha resisting Mara’s temptations.

Other Places
There are many stupas on the hill dating from the 3rd century BC. Stupa 3 is 50m northeast of the Great Stupa. It is much smaller than the main stupa and contains important relics of two of the Buddha’s intimate disciples. These relics are now kept in a modern Buddhist temple near the main site. They are taken out one day a year in December. Many people come to Sanchi on that day.

Stupa 2, down the hill to the west, is one of the more interesting stupas.

A little right of the South Gate of the Great Stupa is Pillar 10, erected by Ashoka in the 3rd century. Only the base remains. On top of it was once the Lion Capital (now in the museum), the national symbol of India.

There are also several ancient temples and monasteries. To the west of the Great Stupa, down some steps, is Monastery 51, which is in fairly good condition. It has twenty-two small rooms surrounding a central courtyard.
Next to it is the “great bowl” into which food was placed and then distributed to the monks.
Temple 45 (7th to11th centuries), on the east side, has a courtyard with a temple next to it. Only part of the temple spire is left. Temple 18 (7th century) has nine pillars. Temple 31 (7th century) has a statue of Buddha in it.
The 5th century Gupta temple (Temple 17) is one of the earliest temples built in India.

Where to Stay and Eat
There are two good Retiring Rooms for Rs 150 at the railway station.
Mahabodhi Society Guest House (62739) has cell-like rooms for Rs 60.
Tourist Cafeteria (62743) has clean rooms for Rs 300/350 (Rs 50 to use the air-cooler). It has a restaurant.
The MPTDC Travellers' Lodge (62723), 200m from the railway station, has big, clean rooms with bath for Rs 350/400, and a restaurant. It is the best place in town, but is often full. Best to reserve a room at least five days in advance at any MPTDC Tourist Office or in Delhi.
There are several food stands near the bus stand.

Travel
Train  Sanchi is on the Delhi-Mumbai line, but almost all the trains that stop here are slow passenger trains. First-class passengers who have traveled at least 161km can arrange to have the train make a special stop at Sanchi. The Shatabdi Exp does not stop here, but the Punjab Mail does. The nearest main-line station is Vidisha (10km northeast). There are morning trains from Bhopal (1 to 2 hr) and trains returning in the evening, so Sanchi can easily be visited on a day trip from Bhopal.

Bus and Car There are hourly buses from Bhopal taking two different routes, one takes 1½ hr and the other, traveling via Raisen, takes 2½ hr. Buses depart to Vidisha (10km, every half-hour), and you can take a rickshaw there for Rs 30.

You can hire a car to come here from Bhopal (1½ hr) for Rs 600 roundtrip.

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