July 9th, 2010 
prav India is full of beautiful monuments which attract a number of foreign tourists every year. Sanchi is a small village in Raisen District of the State of Madhya Pradesh, India, and is famous for the old beautiful monuments present there. Sanchi is located 46 km north east of Bhopal, and 10 km from Besnagar and Vidisha in the central part of the state of Madhya Pradesh.
Sanchi is known to be one of the important places of Buddhist pilgrimage and it has a number of Buddhist monuments constructed many centuries back. Sanchi is a nagarpanchayat in Raisen district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.
The Great Stupa at Sanchi was originally commissioned by the emperor Ashoka the Great in the third century. Stupa is surrounded by Totanas here which is a symbol of love, peace, trust and courage. The nucleus of the Great Stupa was a simple hemispherical brick structure built over the relics of the Buddha. It was crowned by a parasol like structure known as chatra, which symbolize high rank and was intended to honorand shelter the relics.
Sunga period
The stupa of Sanchi is believed to be destroyed by the Sunga emperor, PusyamitraSunga, and was rebuilt by his son Agnimitra. Later in the same period, the stupa was expanded with stone slabs and was given almost twice its original size. The design was changed a bit and the dome was flattened near the top. It was crowned by three superimposed parasols within a square railing. With its many tiers, it was a symbol of the dharma, the Wheel of the Law. The dome of Sachistupa was set on a high circular drum meant for circumambulation, which could be accessed via a double staircase.
Satavahana period
The gateways and the balustrade at the Sanchistupa were build long time back and are believed to have been commissioned by the Satavahana. An inscription records the gift of one of the top architraves of the Southern Gateways by the artisans of the Satavahana king Satakami. It is so beautifully designed that although made of stone, they were carved and constructed in the manner of wood.
The gateways were covered with narrative scultpures and are very attractive. These outstanding and well-designed sculptures showed the scenes from the life of the Buddha. The viewers can easily relate themselves to the sculptures of the Buddha everyday life and makes it easier for them to understand the Buddhist creed as relevant to their lives. Most of the people donate money at Sanchistupa for the embellishment of the stupa to attain spiritual merit. Devotees who donate money towards a scripture would often choose their favorite scene from the life of the Buddha and then have their names inscribed on it.
The stones carving the Buddha do not show human figures. The artists represented him by certain attributes like horse on which he left his father’s home, his footprint, or a canopy under the Bodhi tree at the point of his enlightenment. It was believed that human body would be too confining for the Buddha.
Later construction of Sanchi Stupa
Many stupas and other religious Buddhist and early Hindu structures were added later in the following centuries. Temple 17 is known to be the earliest Buddhist temples build in the Gupta period. It is beautifully designed and consists of a flat roofed square sanctum with a portico and four pillars. The temple gets an almost classical appearance by its elegantly carved front and highly decorated pillars.
With the decline of Buddhism in India, the monuments of Sanchi went out of use and fell into a state of disrepair.
Today, around fifty monuments remain on the hills of Sanchi, including three stupas and several temples. It is visited by many visitors and tourists to see its beauty and well-designed stupas and sculptures and the temples constructed are really attractive to look at.
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