The Great Sanchi Stupa: Crowning Achievement of Early North Indian Sculpture

46km from Bhopal in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh is situated the world famous Buddhist site of Sanchi the remains of which are among the finest relics of early Buddhism dating from 3nd century BC. The Great stupa at Sanchi is hailed as the crowning achievement of early north Indian sculpture.

Today the Great Sanchi Stupa survives to be awe-inspiring spectacles for the pilgrims and tourists who throng to them. It is a massive hemisphere of about 120 feet in diameter. Towards the end of the 1st century BC four glorious gateways (torana) were added at the four cardinal points. The stupa was enlarged to twice its original size in the 2nd century AD. Lesser stupas and monastic buildings surround the great stupa.

The Sanchi gateways, carved with great skill, are more remarkable for their carved ornamentation than their architecture. Carved with a several figures and reliefs, each gateway consists of two square columns, above which are three architraves supported by massive elephants or dwarfs, the whole reaching some 34 feet above ground level. The architraves are covered with panels depicting sense from the life of the Buddha and Jataka stories. The finish is remarkably good and the carvings are among the fresh and vigorous of the Indian sculpture.

The Ashokan Pillar

Erected by the Greatest Maurayan emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BC, the Ashokan pillar, located in the vicinity of the Southern gateway of the Great Stupa, is a fine specimen of the Indian architecture and art in ancient times.

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