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SANCHI is known for its stupas, monasteries, temples and pillars dating from the 3rd century BC to the 12th century. The most famous of these monuments, the Sanchi Stupa 1, was originally built by Mauryan emperor Ashoka, the then governor of Ujjayini (now Ujjain), whose wife Devi was the daughter of a merchant from the adjacent Vidisha. Their son Mahindra and daughter Sanghamitra were born in Ujjayini and sent to Sri Lanka, where they converted the king, the queen and their people to Buddhism.
This most significant Buddhist art was created under the rule of the Satavahana kings, who personally revered Hindu deities. During the first 600 years almost all of the art based on Buddhist themes that one can see today, was made under the rule of Hindu kings. The earliest known images of Gajalakshmi are found in the Buddhist art. She is a common deity in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist monuments. The Sanchi stupas, located on a low hill next to Vidisha, are the finest surviving example of early Buddhist stupas. Halfway up the hill is a stupa that contains the remains of prominent Buddhist teachers of the Mauryan period. The railing or vedika made around the stupa dates to around 100 BC. The vedika has medallions and half-medallions in relief (carvings within the stone). Corner pillars at the entrances are fully carved. The deity of prosperity and abundance, Lakshmi, is shown here being lustrated by elephants, which pour water over her. A Chunar sandstone pillar fragment, shining with the proverbial Mauryan polish, lies near Stupa 1 and carries the famous edict of Ashoka, warning against schism in the Buddhist community. Stupa 1 was found empty, while relics of the two disciples of Buddha enshrined in the adjacent Stupa III were taken away to England. The nearby modern temple has a reliquary containing the remains of a Buddhist teacher from another stupa outside Sanchi. The greatest surviving Buddhist stupa of the period before Christ is on top of the hill at Sanchi. It is believed to have enshrined the relics of Buddha. This stupa was originally made in the third century BC. There is an Ashokan pillar at the southern entrance. In the middle of the second century BC its size was doubled and its older wooden railings were replaced with massive stone ones.
By the end of the first century BC, the Satavahanas, kings of the Deccan region, extended their rule to Central India. They worshipped Hindu deities. Major stone renovations in their time made this stupa one of the most significant of all Buddhist monuments. Four gloriously carved 34-feet-high stone gates or torans were made. They were completed in the first century. The traditions of art established during the reign of Sunga kings achieved greater sophistication in these magnificent torans. As many as 631 inscriptions on the torans tell that the carvings were the donations of the people of Vidisha. The art was created for gardeners, merchants, bankers, fishermen, housewives, householders, nuns and monks. Women made almost half of the donations. The reliefs on the torans bring us the Jatakas (tales) of Buddha’s previous lives, as well as events from the life of Gautam Buddha. The setting of the stories richly reflects the contemporary lifestyle. The Sanchi art is the most important visual record of the architecture and lifestyle of the period. In this form of art, the focus was not on the personality of Buddha. ‘Buddhahood’ was represented by symbols. The wheel represents the first teaching of the Buddhist Dharma; the Bodhi tree represents Enlightenment; while footprints and an umbrella over a vacant space proclaim the presence of the "Enlightened One". The stupa at Sanchi has an inscription on the eastern gateway, which mentions that the exquisite carvings on the gateways are the work of ivory carvers of Vidisha. Indeed, the stone is so finely carved here that it reflects the care and detail of work on delicate ivory. A visit to Sanchi stupas is vital for understanding the spirit of Buddhism.
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