Sanchi
is known for stupas, monasteries, temples and pillars dating from the 3rd
century B. C. to the 12th century A. D. The most famous of these
monuments, the Sanchi stupa I, was originally built by the Mauryan Emperor
Ashoka, the then governor of Ujjayini, whose wofe Devi was the daughter of
a merchant from adjacent Vidisha. Their son Mahindra and daughter
Sangamitra were born in Ujjayini and sent to Sri Lamka, where they
converted the king, the queen and their people to Buddhism. A Chunar
sandstone pillar fragment, shining with the proverbial Mauryan polish,
lies near Stupa I and carries the famous edict of Ashoka warning against
schism in the Buddhist community. Stupa I was found empty, while relics of
the two disciples of Buddha enshrined in the adjacent Stupa 3 were carried
away to England. The nearby modern temple has a reliquary containing the
remains of a Buddhist teacher from another stupa outside Sanchi.
The Sanchi hill goes up in shelves with Stupa 2 situated on a lower
shelf, while Stupa I, Stupa 3, the 5th centuary Gupta temple No. 17 and
the 7th centuary temple No. 18 are on the intermediate shelf while a later
monastery is on the crowning shelf. The balustrade surrounding Stupa 2,
carved with aniconic representations of the Buddha, was added in the late
2nd centuary B. C. under the Shungas, while the four gateway of Stupa I
were built in the 1st century B. C. under the Satavahanas.
Carved with stories of the Buddha's past and present lives and with
incidents from the subsequent history of buddhism, the gateways are the
finest specimens of early classical art, which formed the seedbed for the
entire vocabulary of later Indian art.
CITYSIGHTS:
Great Stupa No. 1: The oldest stone structure in India, 36.5
m in diameter and 16.4 m high, and with a massive hemispherical dome, the
stupa stands in eternal majesty, the paved procession path around it worn
smooth by centuries of piligrims.
The Four Gateways: Early
Buddhist art has no finer expression than these toranas that surround the
Great Stupa.
The Buddha, according to the tents of early
Buddhist art, is portrayed in symbols: the lotus representing his birth,
the tree his enlightenment, the wheel, derived from the title of his first
sermon, hte footprints and throne symbolising his presence. These have
been carved with such inspired intensity and imagery that, taken together
with the surrounding figures, they are considered the finest of all
Buddhist toranas, and counter-balance the massive solidity of the stupa
they encircle.
The Eastern Gateway: Depicts the seven
incarnations of the Buddha.
The Northern Gateway:
Crowned by a wheel of law, this depicts the miracles associated with the
Buddha as told in the jatakas.
The Southern Gateway:
The birth of Gautam is revealed in a series of dramatically rich carvings.
Stupa No. 2.: This Stupa stands at the very edge of
the hill and its most striking feature is the stone balustrade that rings
it.
Stupa No. 3.: Situated close to the Great Stupa.
The hemispherical dome is crowned, as a mark of its special religious
significance, with an umbrella of polished stone. The relics of Sariputta
and Mahamogallena, two of the Buddha's earliest disciples, were found in
its inmost chamber.
The Ashoka Pillar: Lies close to
the southern gateway of the Great Stupa, and is one of the finest examples
of the Ashokan pillar and is known for its aesthetic proportions and
exquisite structural balance.
The Buddhist Vihar: The
sacred relics of the Satdhara Stupa, a few km away from Sanchi, have been
enshrined in a glass casket on a platform in the inner sanctum of this
modern monastery.
The Great Bowl: Carved out of one
block of stone, this mammoth bowl contained the food that was distributed
among the monks of Sanchi.
The Gupta Temple: In ruins
now, this 5th century A. D. temple is one of the earliest known examples
of temple architecture in India.
The Museum: Tha
Archaeological Survey of India maintains a site museum at Sanchi.
Noteworthy antiquities on display include the lion capital of the Ashokan
pillar and metal objects used by the monks, discovered during excavations
at Sanchi.
Excursion:
UDAYGIRI CAVES 13 km from Sanchi and 4 km from
Viddisha, are a group of rock-cut cave sanctaries, carved into a sandstone
hill that stands, sentinel like, on the horizon. An inscription in one of
these states that it was produced during the reign of Chandragupta II (
382-401 AD), thus dating these caves to 4-5 AD. The caves possess all the
distinctive features that gave Gupta art its unique vitality, vigour and
richness of expression, the beautiful moulded capitals, the treatment of
the intercolomination, the design of the entranceway and the system of
continuing the architrave as a string-sourse round the structure.
They have been numbered probably according to the sequence in which
they were exacated, beginning with Cave 1, which has a frontage adapted
out of a natural ledge of rock, thus forming both the roof of the cella
and its portico. The row of four pillars bear the 'vase and foliage'
pattern, of which the eminent art historian, Percy Brown, so eloquently
says: "the Gupta capital typifies a renewal of faith, the water
nourishing the plant trailing from its brim, an allegory which has
produced the vase and flower motif, one of the most graceful forms in
Indian architecture". Characterised by richly carved facades and
doorways, the shrines are progressively more spacious and more ornate.
Cave No. 9 is remarkable for its large cella and massive, 8 feet high
pillars, its long portico and pillared hall. Throughout, there is evidence
that the master craftsmen of Besnagar practised their art with skill and
artistry under the Guptas, four centuries later. Cave No. 5 is
awe-inspiring in the sheer magnificence of the vision of its builders:
here, a massive carving depicts Vishnu, in his Varaha (Boar) incarnation,
holding the earth goddess Prithvi aloft upon one tusk. Yet another
stupendous sculpture is of the reclining Vishnu. Taken as a whole, this
stupendous group is a rich representation of the vitality and strength of
Gupta art and architecture.
ACCESS:
By Air: Nearest airport is at Bhopal (46 km via
Diwanganj and 78 km via Raisen). By Rail: Sanchi lies on
the Jhansi-Itarsi section of the Central Railways. However, the most
convenient railhead is Vidisha (10 km). By Roads: Good,
motorable roads connected Sanchi with Bhopal, Indore, Sagar, Gwalior,
Vidisha and Raisen, besides other places. Where
to Stay:
Suggested Itinerary: DELHI-SANCHI-DELHI
(4 Days)
Day 01 Delhi-Bhopal-Sanchi
Morning depart by Shatabdi Express Train. Arrive Bhopal & drive
to Sanchi. Overnight stay.
Day 02: Sanchi
Full day sight seeing tour. Overnight stay.
Day 03: Sanchi
Full day excursion to Vidisha & Udaygiri caves. Overnight stay.
AA
Recreation Tours & Travels Pvt. Ltd.
