Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi

By Rachel Heller

What are the Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi?

The Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi, in the state of Madhya Pradesh, is a collection of stupas, temples and monasteries, the earliest of which date to the 3rd century BCE. That makes it the earliest Buddhist sanctuary in the world. The Great Stupa – the largest of the stupas at the site – was built under orders of the first Mauryan Emperor, Ashoka. It is a hemispherical dome built to hold relics of the Buddha, though the Buddha never visited here.

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Under Shunga rule in the 2nd century BCE, the Great Stupa was greatly enlarged by adding a layer of stone on top of the original brick. A walkway partway up and circling the dome as well as a walkway on the ground level were added at the same time, connected by two stairways. This allowed monks to walk around the stupa. The four highly-carved ornamental gateways around the dome as well as the balustrade – a sort of decorative fence in stone – were added too.

More Buddhist monasteries and temples were added during the Gupta Empire period, between the 4th and the 12th centuries CE. After that, Buddhism and this site fell into obscurity until archeologists began to excavate it in the 19th century. In all, there are about 50 monuments on the hill. Most of the monasteries and temples are pretty much just foundations now, though a few still have decorative carvings intact.

Why are the Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi a UNESCO World Heritage site?

It’s really a combination of reasons that make this collection worthy of the UNESCO designation. First of all, the Great Stupa is, according to UNESCO, “an incomparable artistic achievement.” The whole group is unique, especially considering its age.

Sanchi is also important in terms of the spread of culture and the arts, in this case the inspiration of Achaemenid art on later empires on India. Also it marks a period, particularly from the 3rd century BCE to the 1st century CE, when Sanchi was a major Buddhist center. As such, it is one of the oldest Buddhist sanctuaries in the world. The UNESCO listing points out that the Buddha never visited Sanchi “during any of his former lives or during his earthly existence,” but Stupa 3 contains the remains of Sariputra, who was one of the historical Buddha’s disciples during his lifetime.

In terms of architectural importance, the stupas in the collection “represent the most accomplished form of this type of monument.”

What can you expect on a visit to Sanchi?

The monuments in the collection all occupy a single small hill. Once you pay your entrance fee and enter the site, the main attraction is Stupa 1, known as the Great Stupa. It is the biggest stupa on the site, and suprising in its simplicity. It is a simple stone hemisphere with a flattened top, and with a walkway partway up it, reachable via two stairways. Around it is a stone fence of sorts, modeled on wooden fencing, and it surprised me to see that it has no decorative carving on it.

The simplicity of the stupa contrasts with the four ornate gateways around it – east, west, north and south. These carry incredibly detailed and accomplished carvings in bas-relief that illustrate stories about the Buddha’s life and other elements of mythology. They were added to the stupa in the 1st century CE.

Stupa 3 is smaller but very similar. It does not have the wall at ground level, and this one has some simple adornments. Like Stupa 1, it has a walkway partway up, reachable by stairways, as well as a single ornamental gateway. On top is a square stone railing that encloses a single parasol.

Temple 17 is a small intact building dating from a later period, under Gupta rule in the 5th century CE. This one has interesting pillars that are load-bearing, not just decorative elements. Nevertheless, the four pillars’ capitals have detailed carvings, and they seem surprisingly like Ancient Greek pillars. There is some evidence of the presence of Greeks in Sanchi at the time when the sanctuary was first being developed.

Temple 18 is a ruin, but many of the pillars still stand. These have simpler geometric carvings on their capitals.

There’s also an interesting monastery marked as number 45, where some of its original carvings remain on its doorways.

Are the Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi worth visiting?

That depends. While I found them rather underwhelming compared to many other monuments I’ve seen, my husband very much enjoyed seeing the ornamental gateways in particular. In other words, it’s worth visiting if you’re in the area of Bhopal and/or if you are particular interested in this period of history or this sort of art.

What kinds of travelers would enjoy visiting Sanchi?

Anyone interested in the history of Buddhism or in Buddhist artistic traditions would enjoy it. If you’re in Bhopal, it’s not hard to get a taxi to the site, and the site doesn’t require much in the way of physical effort to see it. I can’t imagine it would be of much interest to small children at all. Having said that, on the day we visited, a Sunday, many locals were there in family groups, including children. They brought food and made a day of it.

There are many other UNESCO sites in Asia related to the Buddha’s life or Buddhist practice: Lumbini, the Buddha’s birthplace in Nepal, for example, or Borobudur Temple in Indonesia, the Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area in Japan, or the Ajanta Caves in western India, whose carvings date from the same time period as Sanchi.

Tips for visiting Sanchi

There are informational panels at the entrance to the most important of the monuments. They give the general outlines of the history of each one, but if you want more than that, hire a guide.

Book this guided tour from Bhopal to Sanchi and Udayagiri (caves with rock carvings from the Gupta period).

As I wrote above, we visited on a Sunday, and it was pretty crowded. It might be better to visit on a weekday, so, while there still might be school groups, there are likely to be fewer large family groups. You should also try to arrive much earlier. We didn’t get there until around noon.

A small museum on the site has just a few simple rooms but holds some interesting sculpture work excavated from Sanchi.

In the summer, it’ll be hot. Definitely avoid the middle of the day. Wear sunscreen and a hat.

Sanchi is wheelchair accessible, to some extent. Though you have no access to the walkways around the stupas or to enter any of the temple or monastery ruins, you can see pretty much everything from the paved paths. There’s even a Braille map at the entrance to the site, though I don’t know what language it is in.

Take your time to admire the four gateways around Stupa 1. They’re absolutely stunning. If you want more information about what each panel depicts, Wikipedia has a very detailed rundown of each. Climb the stairs to the walkway to get straight-on views of the sides facing the stupa.

Use the map below to book accommodations in Bhopal:

Where is Sanchi?

Sanchi is about an hour and half’s drive northeast of the city of Bhopal. There are also trains several times a day that stop there, taking about an hour. Make sure to check out the schedules carefully and buy tickets ahead of time if you’re taking that option. Taking a taxi is really the easier option.

For more information about the Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi, its opening hours and admission fees, see the Archaeological Survey of India’s website.

Have you been to Sanchi? If so, do you have any additional information or advice about this UNESCO World Heritage site? Please add your comments below!