Information OFSanchi Stupa / sanchi stupa is one of the best early stupas in central India

SANCHI STUPA

The earliest surviving religious structures are the Buddhist Stupas .The Stupa is a large burial mound.hemispherical in shape,with a central chamber in witch a small casket containing the relies of the Buddha are preserved.The core of the mound was made of unbaked bricks,while its outer surface,made of baked bricks,was thickly plastered.On top of the hemisphere stood the harmika,a stylized umbrella of stone or wood.A fence-initially made of wood and later replaced by stone-ran around the stupa .Enclosing a path for the ritual of circumambulation Some Stupas,such as the one in Sanchi ( 2nd century B.C. E) were provided with beautiful entrance arches at the four cardinal points.Smaller Stupas,monasteries and theological colleges gradually sprung around the main Stupa converting the site into a colony of monks and learned men.                            

Sanchi is the famous for outstanding Specimen of Buddist art and architecture,belonging to the period between the third century BC and the twelfth century AD.The most important of all the Sanchi moncements is the Sanchi Stupa.The Sanchi Stupa is one of the best preserved early Stupas in central India.The Sanchi Stupa is Surrounded by a railing with four covered gate-ways facing all the four directions.Around the main Stupa,there is a path for Circumambulation.The path is enclosed by a railing with gates at each of the four directions.The railing and gates of the Sanchi Stupa are richly sculptured with different motifs and designs.Another interesting characturistic about the Sanchi Stupa is that LORD BUDDHA has been symbolically represented by foot prints,wheels,thrones etc rather than by his own image.

The Sanchi Stupa of Madhya Pradesh is the biggest and the best preserved,followed by the Stupas at Sarnath near Varanasi and Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh.


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