Sanchi and the stupa

The essentials

Sanchi, near Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, has one of the best-preserved Buddhist stupas. In the nineteenth century Europeans were interested in Sanchi, and the French and the English both sought permission to take away its gateways for their museums. They were satisfied with plaster-cast copies, and the original remained at the site. The rulers of Bhopal, Shahjehan Begum and her successor Sultan Jehan Begum, provided money for its preservation. Sultan Jehan Begum funded the museum and guest house, and John Marshall dedicated his volumes on Sanchi to her.

Key points

• A stupa (Sanskrit: a heap) is a mound in which relics of the Buddha, such as bodily remains or objects used by him, were buried. Stupas were regarded as sacred.
• Stupa building predates Buddhism, but it became associated with Buddhism. According to the Ashokavadana, Ashoka distributed portions of the Buddha's relics and ordered stupas to be built over them.
• Donations for stupas came from kings, guilds (such as ivory workers who financed part of a Sanchi gateway), and ordinary men and women, monks and nuns. Inscriptions record their names.
• Structure: a semi-circular mound of earth, the anda; above it a balcony-like structure, the harmika, representing the abode of the gods; from it rose a mast called the yashti, often topped by a chhatri (umbrella). Around the mound was a railing separating the sacred space.
• At Sanchi and Bharhut, the railings had gateways called toranas, richly carved.
• Devotees entered through the eastern gateway and walked clockwise around the mound, following the sun's course.
• The stupa at Amaravati was discovered before scholars understood the value of preserving things where they were found, and its sculptures were taken away to different places; Sanchi survived largely intact. H.H. Cole was among those who opposed the removal of original works.

Common mistakes

• Thinking the Sanchi gateways were taken to Europe; only plaster casts were.