Situated in the central state of Madhya Pradesh, on the east part of the state and rising above the flat plains, Sanchi is a rounded hill that contains some of the oldest of Buddhist monuments to be found in India.
The great Mauryan King Ashoka developed Sanchi ostensibly constructed Stupas at Sanchi beginning in the 3rd century BCE, with the most notable of them being the Great Stupa. Having the distinction of being the oldest stone structure in India, Emperor Ashoka’s Stupa building and devotion to Buddhism began after he renounced war,
being horrified at the slaughter he had inflicted in the Battle of Kalinga.
Originally commissioned by Ashoka himself, the construction of the great Stupa was overseen by his wife Devi herself. Consisting of a hemispherical brick structure built to surround the relics of the Buddha within. Standing 16 metres high and 37 metres in diameter, the Great Stupa is ringed with a magnificent wall with entrances through magnificent gateways or referred to Toranas. These Toranas were built in place to symbolize love, peace trust and courage.
We trace Ashoka’s contribution to Buddhism at the ancient sites of Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh as well as Sarnath outside of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.
