Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi

Emperor Ashoka established Sanchi in the 3rd century BCE to spread Buddhism. His son departed from here for the mission to Sri Lanka. The site contains the relics of Buddha's chief disciples.

Emperor Ashoka of the Maurya Empire—the ruler who united most of the Indian subcontinent and then, horrified by the violence of his conquests, embraced Buddhism and dedicated his reign to spreading the Dharma—had personal connections to this region. Traveling as a young prince to Ujjain, he stopped at Vidisha, 10 kilometers from Sanchi, and married the daughter of a local merchant. This connection drew him back. In the 3rd century BCE, he commissioned a brick stupa on this hilltop, establishing what would become the oldest Buddhist sanctuary in existence. The site grew in significance. According to Sri Lankan Buddhist chronicles, Ashoka's son Mahindra stopped at Sanchi—then called Cetiyagiri, the hill of stupas—before departing on his mission to bring Buddhism to Sri Lanka. This connection to the southward spread of Buddhism made Sanchi sacred in Theravada tradition. Subsequent dynasties expanded the site: the Sungas encased Ashoka's brick stupa in stone and added the balustrade; the Satavahanas donated the magnificent toranas with their carved narratives. The site remained an active Buddhist center until the 12th century CE, when Buddhism declined in India and Sanchi was abandoned. For six centuries, the stupas stood forgotten. In 1818, British General Henry Taylor discovered the site. In 1851, Alexander Cunningham opened Stupa 3 and found within it the relics of Sariputra and Maudgalyayana, the Buddha's chief disciples. These relics were taken to England, displayed in the Victoria and Albert Museum, and finally—after negotiations between the British government, the state of Bhopal, and the Maha Bodhi Society—returned to Sanchi in 1952, enshrined in a newly built vihara. The Dharma had traveled far and returned home.