Sanchi~ The Masterpiece

        Hello friends, good evening, hope you have gone through my previous stories about Vidisha and other historical places around Vidisha. Today I am here to complete the total sector with another part as this place is very much associated with Vidisha by both nature and history. Without visiting this place a tour of Vidisha is absolutely incomplete. Hope you have identified the place, actually it is a very important place as per Indian History in the ancient ages are concerned. So, welcome to Sanchi...  

Sanchi Stupa 1

        Sanchi is situated about 45km away from Bhopal, in Raisen District, is one of the most visited tourist destination of Madhya Pradesh. The main reason behind this is its rich history, which started during the reign of Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 3rd century BC. Later on, Sanchi is a very much associated with the Sunga, Satvahan and Gupta period. But the story of Sanchi starts from Vidisha... Emperor Ashoka married a daughter of a rich business man from ancient Besnagar, whose name was Vidisha Devi. Later, Ashoka renamed the town after the name of his beloved wife and from that time Besnagar is known as Vidisha. Vidisha Devi was a follower of Lord Buddha. After the devastating outcome of Kalinga war, Ashoka was in state of shock and it was Vidisha Devi who helped the emperor to overcome the shock by advising him to come under the teachings of Lord Buddha. By her advice Ashoka built the Sanchi stupa at the very place where Ashoka and Vidisha Devi married. 

        So, Sanchi has a very much connection with Vidisha historically. But geographically too Sanchi has a high connection with Vidisha. This Vidisha-Raisen belt is situated in the southern part of the Vindhya Ranges. The Vindhya Ranges are an example of block mountains. It is said that the Sanchi 

Railings and Stone stairs

Hills and the Udaygiri Hills are two such block mountains separated by the Vidisha town, which acts as a rift valley between the two hills. The rivers like Betwa and Halali sorrounds this total land and meets each other just after the Udaygiri Caves.

        A 20-25 minutes drive through a beautiful road will take one to Sanchi from Vidisha. Before reaching Sanchi, the Stupa comes visible as it is situated at the top of the Sanchi Hill. After Reaching Sanchi, it is must to visit the Sanchi Archaeological Museum first. As the damaged parts of different statues and pillars are conserved in this museum it is better to visit the museum first and then visit the Stupa complex. It will help to locate the pillars and also relate the history of it. 

The Gateway (Toran) built in Satvahan Period

        The Stupa complex is the main attraction in the town of Sanchi. Here you will come across distinct architectural brilliance of four dynasties of ancient India: the Mauryan Architecture, the Sungan architecture, the Satvahan and the Gupta Architecture.. At the very first after entering the premises the first comes visible is the Main stupa or the Stupa 1, built by Ashoka. This is the oldest structure in the complex too. The stupa is 16mts high and has a diameter of 36mtr. The distinct feature of this stupa is its size, which is largest among all other stupas in this complex. The presence of the Chhatri in the top of the Stupa is very much different from the chhatris on top of other stupas.

         According to some historians, this stupa was greatly damaged during the Sunga period. Actually after the death of Ashoka, the control of the Maurya Empire had broken under the hands of his weak successors. It was Pushwamitra Sunga, the army chief of the Mauryas, who killed the last Maurya king Vrihadratha and  established the Sunga Dynasty in 185BC. Pushwamitra was a Bigotic Hindu, and had a hatred towards Buddhism. He damaged few Buddhist monasteries in and around Vidisha, and one of them was the great Stupa of Sanchi. But his son Agnimitra Sunga embraced Buddhism after 

Stupa 3

accessing the throne and rebuilt the Stupa and covered the original brick structure with stone. The stone pathways, stairs and the railings with the balustrated reliefs are a part of Sungan period architecture and sculpture. By 135BC this king gave the Stupa a new look.

            It was under the Satvahan king Gautamiputra Satakarni in the 1st century CE, the Stupa got 4 torans or gateways with stone cravings and human and animal figures... These gateways depicts the tales of different stages of the life of Lord Buddha. The Eastern Gateway depicts story of Mahaviniskraman, that is the story of Prince Gautam, leaving his father's palace. The Western Gateway narrates the stories of seven incarnations of Lord Buddha. The Southern Gateway narrates the story of Birth of Buddha and the Northern Gateway narrates the story of the Jataka Tales...

Stupa 2

        Just adjacent to the Southern Gateway lies the Ashokan Pillar, the bottom part of the pillar still stands though the upper part is broken and is conserved in the Archaeological Museum at Sanchi. Other remains from the Mauryan period here is a damaged temple built by King Bindusar. Today this temple is totally damaged only the base is visible and it is believed that the temple was made up of timber and was damaged by accidental fire. 

Ashokan Pillar

       The Stupa 2 and Stupa 3 are a piece of the Sunga period piece of Architecture. The Stupa 3 just beside the main Stupa is the place where relics of Mahamoggallana and Sariputta, two disciples of Buddha are said to be kept. The Stupa 3 is very much similar to that of the main Stupa but much smaller. The Stupa 3 has only one Toran in the Southern side, which was built by Satvahan ruler Gautamiputra Satakarni in 1st century CE. The Stupa 2 on the slope of the hill is much smaller and devoid of any torans. These Stupas are built between 120BC to 80BC.

Temple 17 from Gupta Age (left) and Temple 18 from

Harsha Age (Right)

        Apart from these 3 stupas there are few other stupas from the Sunga period, few pillars and monasteries from Maurya and Sunga ages, which are dedicated to Buddhism. There is a remains of a great Monastery just opposite the southern gate on the way to the Stupa 2. The presence of the stone bowl in the monastery compound used to serve food to the monks during religious presidings indicates the importance of the monastery. 

        Other than Mauryas, Sungas and the Satavahans, it was the Guptas under whom a lot of structures in this compound had been commissioned, most of them were during the reign of Chandragupta II Vikramaditya. The temple 17, having 4 carved pillars in the front and a flat roof is one of the oldest known Hindu temple in the country. It is a classic example of 5th century stand alone type of Temple.. Few remains of pillars and the Great Buddha Temple in the Western side of the complex are the perfect example of Gupta period architecture present here. The famous Sanchi Inscription of Gupta King Chandragupta II is present just beside the Eastern Gateway of the main stupa.

Gupta Period Temple dedicated to Lord Buddha

        The pillared structure of temple 18 is the one and only structure in this complex which is an example of pillared temple architecture of 7th Century CE under King Harshavardhan.

        Just outside the Stupa complex there is the Chetiyagiri Vihara, also known as the Srilankan Buddhist Vihara.  Sanchi has a good Srilankan connection. It was Ashoka and Vidisha's son, Mahendra and daughter Sanghamitra, whom Ashoka send to Ceylone to preach Buddhism there. Mahendra was successful in converting the Ceylonese king to Buddhism. According to Legends, before visiting Sri Lanka, Mahendra and Sanghamitra met their mother Vidisha Devi in Chetiyagiri about 10km away from Vidisha town. It is believed that Vidisha Devi built the Chetiyagiri Vihar near Sanchi Stupa and devoted herself in following Buddhist principles there. In this spot, later on in 1957 The Mahabodhi Society of India and Sri Lanka built a temple dedicated to Lord Buddha and his disciples Sariputta and Moggallana, both rooted from Ceylone... 

Chetiyagiri Vihara

        About 10km from Sanchi town is the Satdhara Stupa Complex. This is a calm and quiet  place above a hill just beside the Halali River valley. There is a view point on the way to the Stupa from where one can have a breathtaking view of the beautiful Halali river flowing through the Vindhya Hills and the jungles. This complex has a main stupa 13.65 mt high and has a diameter of 32mt and a few short stupas, few Buddhist temples and 2 large monasteries. The Satdhara Buddhist site is an example of Mauryan Style of Architecture..

        From Satdhara one can also visit the Soneri and the Andher Buddhist Excavation sites. These are example of architecture of Sungan age. 

Satdhara Stupa

       Tired of history, now you can also have some fun. have a half an hour drive through the Bhopal Road and you will now see a signboard in the roadside... Yes, its the Tropic of Cancer crossing the road. have some selfie moments with your friends and family here.

So friends, how is the story? Is it enjoyable.. Comment me about your views. Today, its all over... I will be right back with a new story of a new place very soon... Till that enjoy Vidisha.. But before leaving, I must give you some travel tips of the Vidisha-Sanchi circuit.. Please go through it before planning a visit to this place.... 

Halali View Point at Satdhara

Travel tips

For this trip, it is best to stay at Vidisha and visit Sanchi on the way back to Bhopal. So plan your trip such a way that 1st day visit the places in Vidisha. Second day, have a trip to Udaipur and Gyaraspur which I had discussed in my previous story and enjoy the light and sound show at the Sanchi Stupa, where you can come through the history of the place in an audio-visual platform. The show is really enjoyable and it will create interest in visiting the place. Next day, early morning visit the Stupa, then Satdhara, Soneri etc and then carry forward your journey towards Bhopal and see the Tropic of Cancer on way....

Me at Tropic of Cancer Point

While in this tour it is highly recommendable to have a good quality time in Sanchi Stupa, Udaygiri Caves and Neelkantheswara Temple, Udaipur. These places will take a good time for a thorough visit. 

Short excursion trip from Bhopal to Sanchi and Vidisha is practically useless as in that case you have to miss a lot of places worth visiting. So, if you plan just a 3day Bhopal trip, it is better to enjoy Bhopal, as only the city of Bhopal alone will take 2 complete days, if not more.. For this tour, have at least 2 days in Vidisha.. You will enjoy this trip. Vidisha, with history, nature, traditions has a lot for you... Now its upon you, how you enjoy Vidisha... So, good night and stay safe...