| Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi* | |
|---|---|
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
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| State Party |  India |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | (i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vi) |
| Reference | 524 |
| Region† | Asia-Pacific |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 1989 (13th Session) |
| * Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. † Region as classified by UNESCO. |
|
Sanchi is a small village in Raisen District of India, it 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. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex As of 2008 there are a total of 878 World Heritage Sites located in 145 "State Parties" India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex This is a list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Asia, Australia and the Pacific ( Australia) A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a Town or City. Raisen District is a district of Madhya Pradesh state of India. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Bhopāl ( Hindi: भोपाल bʰoːpɑːl, Marathi -भोपाळ is a city in central India. WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Vidisha or Besnagar or old name Bhelsa is a city in the central Indian state WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Vidisha or Besnagar or old name Bhelsa is a city in the central Indian state Madhya Pradesh (abbreviated as MP) ( Hindī: मध्य प्रदेश pronounced, Translation: Middle Province) often It is the location of several Buddhist monuments dating from the third century BCE to the twelfth century CE. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices It is a nagar panchayat in Raisen district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. A nagar panchayat ( Hindi: नगर पंचायत is one form of urban body in India Raisen District is a district of Madhya Pradesh state of India. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country India is a union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. Toranas surround the Stupa and they each represent love, peace, trust, and courage. For the Australian car see Holden Torana. A torana is a type of gateway seen in Hindu and Buddhist architecture
The 'Great Stupa' at Sanchi was originally commissioned by the emperor Ashoka the Great in the third century BCE. A stupa (from Sanskrit and Pāli: m स्तूप stūpa, literally meaning "heap" is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist Ashoka ( Devanāgarī: अशोकः IAST: Aśokaḥ, aɕoːkə(hə Prakrit Imperial title Devanampriya Priyadarsi Its nucleus was a simple hemispherical brick structure built over the relics of the Buddha. Siddhārtha Gautama ( Sanskrit; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual Teacher from Ancient India and the founder It was crowned by the chatra, a parasol-like structure symbolising high rank, which was intended to honour and shelter the relics[1].
Contents |
Sunga period
| ?Sanchi Madhya Pradesh • India |
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| Coordinates: | |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| District(s) | Raisen |
| Population | 6,785 (2001) |
The stupa was vandalized at one point, sometime in the second century BCE, an event some have related to the rise of the Sunga emperor Pusyamitra Sunga. Pusyamitra Sunga (B ??? R 185-151 BCE D 151 BCE was the founder and first King of the Sunga Dynasty in Northern India It has been suggested that Pushyamitra may have destroyed the original stupa, and his son Agnimitra rebuilt it. [2] During the later rule of the Sunga, the stupa was expanded with stone slabs to almost twice its original size. The dome was flattened near the top and 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 Sanskrit term ( Devanāgarī: धर्म Pali transliteration dhamma) is an Indian spiritual and religious The dome was set on a high circular drum meant for circumambulation, which could be accessed via a double staircase. Circumambulation (Sanskrit Pradakshina; Tibetan skor ba) is the act of moving around a sacred object A second stone pathway at ground level was enclosed by a stone balustrade with four monumental gateways (toranas) facing the cardinal directions. For the Australian car see Holden Torana. A torana is a type of gateway seen in Hindu and Buddhist architecture The buildings which seem to have been commissioned during the rule of the Sungas are the Second and Third stupas (but not the highly decorated gateways, which are from the following Satavahana period, as known from inscriptions), and the ground balustrade and stone casing of the Great Stupa. The Sātavāhanas ( Marathi: सातवाहन Telugu:శాతవాహనులు were a Dynasty which ruled from Junnar (
Satavahana period
The gateways and the balustrade were built after 70 BCE, and appear to have been commissioned by the Satavahana. The Sātavāhanas ( Marathi: सातवाहन Telugu:శాతవాహనులు were a Dynasty which ruled from Junnar ( An inscription records the gift of one of the top architraves of the Southern Gateway by the artisans of the Satavahana king Satakarni:
- "Gift of Ananda, the son of Vasithi, the foreman of the artisans of rajan Siri Satakarni"[3]. The architrave (also called epistyle or door frame) is a moulded or ornamental band framing a rectangular opening Satakarni (Sātakarnī I was the third of the Satavahana kings
Although made of stone, they were carved and constructed in the manner of wood and the gateways were covered with narrative sculptures. They showed scenes from the life of the Buddha integrated with everyday events that would be familiar to the onlookers and so make it easier for them to understand the Buddhist creed as relevant to their lives. At Sanchi and most other stupas the local population donated money for the embellishment of the stupa to attain spiritual merit. There was no direct royal patronage. Devotees, both men and women, who donated money towards a sculpture would often choose their favourite scene from the life of the Buddha and then have their names inscribed on it. This accounts for the random repetition of particular episodes on the stupa (Dehejia 1992). On these stone carvings the Buddha was never depicted as a human figure. Instead the artists chose to represent him by certain attributes, such as the horse on which he left his father’s home, his footprints, or a canopy under the bodhi tree at the point of his enlightenment. The Bodhi Tree, also known as Bo (from the Sinhalese Bo was a large and very old Sacred Fig tree ( Ficus religiosa) located in Bodh The human body was thought to be too confining for the Buddha.
Some of the friezes of Sanchi also show devotees in Greek attire (Greek clothing, attitudes, and musical instruments) celebrating the stupa[4].
Later periods
| Pilgrimage to Buddha's Holy Sites |
 |
| The Four Main Sites |
|---|
| Lumbini · Bodh Gaya Sarnath · Kushinagar |
| Four Additional Sites |
| Sravasti · Rajgir Sankissa · Vaishali |
| Other Sites |
| Patna · Gaya Kosambi · Mathura Kapilavastu · Devadaha Kesariya · Pava Nalanda · Varanasi |
| Later Sites |
| Sanchi · Ratnagiri Ellora · Ajanta Bharhut |
Further stupas and other religious Buddhist and early Hindu structures were added over the following centuries until the 12th century CE. The most important places of pilgrimage in Buddhism are located the Gangetic plains of Northern India and Southern Nepal, in the area between New Delhi and Lumbini ( Sanskrit: sa लुम्बिनी "the lovely" is a Buddhist pilgrimage site in the Kapilavastu district of Nepal WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Bodh Gaya or Bodhgaya (Hindi बोधगया is a city in Gaya district in the This article is about a place in India For H P Lovecraft 's fictitious city see The Doom That Came to Sarnath. WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Kushinagar or Kusinagar (26 Srāvastī or Sāvatthī ( Hindi: श्रावस्ती a city of ancient India, was one of the six largest cities in India during Gautama Buddha WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Rajgir is a city and a notified area in Nalanda district in the Indian state of Sankassa (also Sankasia, Sankissa and Sankasya) was a city in India at the time of Gautama Buddha, thirty leagues from Savatthi. Vaishali or Vesali ( Pali) was a city the capital of the Licchavis and the Vajjian Confederacy. Paṭnā ( Hindi: पटना is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar, and one of the oldest continuously inhabited Gaya[[http //gayabihnicin/]] is a city in Bihar, India, and it is also the headquarters of Gaya District. Kosambi ( Pali) or Kausambi ( Sanskrit) was one of the greatest cities in India in the Buddha 's time (500 BC Mathura ( IAST mathurā)( Hindi: मथुरा is a holy City in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Kapilavastu is the name of an region of ancient Shakya kingdom that is considered a holy pilgrimage place for Buddhists, located close to Lumbini. Devadaha was a township of the Sākiyans (nowadays Nepal) It is near Kapilvastu. Kesariya is a small city in Bihar, India. It is famous for being the site of (possibly the biggest Stupa of India, built by King Ashoka Pava was a city in ancient India, at the time of Gautama Buddha. Nālandā is the name of an ancient University in Bihar, India. Varanasi ( Sanskrit: वाराणसी Vārāṇasī, pronunciation) also commonly known as Benares ( or Banaras (बनारस Ratnagiri was once the site of a mahavihara or major Buddhist monastery in the Brahmani and Birupa river valley in Jajpur district of Orissa, India. Ellora ( Marathi: Verul is an archaeological site 30 km (186 miles from the city of Aurangabad in the Indian state of Maharashtra Bharhut or Barhut, is a location in Satna district in Madhya Pradesh, Central India, known for its famous Buddhist Stupa. A Hindu ( Devanagari: हिन्दू is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, a set of religious, Philosophical Temple 17 is probably one of the earliest Buddhist temples as it dates to the early Gupta period. A temple (from the Latin word Templum) is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities such as prayer and sacrifice or analogous rites The Gupta Empire ( Hindi: गुप्त राजवंश was ruled by members of the Gupta dynasty from around 320 to 550 C It consists of a flat roofed square sanctum with a portico and four pillars. The interior and three sides of the exterior are plain and undecorated but the front and the pillars are elegantly carved, giving the temple an almost ‘classical’ appearance (Mitra 1971).
With the decline of Buddhism in India, the monuments of Sanchi went out of use and fell into a state of disrepair. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices
Western rediscovery
A British officer in 1818, General Taylor, was the first known Western historian to document (in English) the existence of Sanchi. Year 1818 ( MDCCCXVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Amateur archaeologists and treasure hunters ravaged the site until 1881, when proper restoration work was initiated. Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from Greek grc ἀρχαιολογία archaiologia – grc ἀρχαῖος archaīos Year 1881 ( MDCCCLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Between 1912 and 1919 the structures were restored to their present condition under the supervision of Sir John Marshall. Year 1912 ( MCMXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting Year 1919 ( MCMXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Sir John Hubert Marshall ( March 19, 1876 Chester - August 17, 1958 Guildford) was the Director-General of the Archaeological [5]
Today, around fifty monuments remain on the hill of Sanchi, including three stupas and several temples. The monuments have been listed among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1989. United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on November 16 A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar)
Geography
Sanchi is located at [6]. It has an average elevation of 434 metres (1423 feet). The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit
Demographics
As of 2001 India census[7], Sanchi had a population of 6,785. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. A census is the procedure of acquiring information about every member of a given population Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Sanchi has an average literacy rate of 67%, higher than the national average of 59. 5%: male literacy is 75%, and female literacy is 57%. In Sanchi, 16% of the population is under 6 years of age.
References
- ^ Dehejia, Vidya. (1997). Indian Art. Phaidon: London. ISBN 0-7148-3496-3.
- ^ "Who was responsible for the wanton destruction of the original brick stupa of Asoka and when precisely the great work of reconstruction was carried out is not known, but it seems probable that the author of the former was Pushyamitra, the first of the Sunga kings (184-148 BCE), who was notorious for his hostility to Buddhism, and that the restoration was affected by Agnimitra or his immediate successor. Ashoka ( Devanāgarī: अशोकः IAST: Aśokaḥ, aɕoːkə(hə Prakrit Imperial title Devanampriya Priyadarsi Pusyamitra Sunga (B ??? R 185-151 BCE D 151 BCE was the founder and first King of the Sunga Dynasty in Northern India For other uses of the term Sunga see Sunga (disambiguation The Sunga Empire (or Shunga Empire) is a Magadha Agnimitra (149 - 141 BCE was the second King of the Sunga Dynasty of Northern India " in John Marshall, A Guide to Sanchi, p. 38. Calcutta: Superintendent, Government Printing (1918).
- ^ Original text "L1: Rano Siri Satakarnisa L2: avesanisa vasithiputasa L3: Anamdasa danam", John Marshall, "A guide to Sanchi", p. 52
- ^ "A guide to Sanchi" John Marshall. These "Greek-looking foreigners" are also described in Susan Huntington, "The art of ancient India", p. 100
- ^ John Marshall, "An Historical and Artistic Description of Sanchi", from A Guide to Sanchi, Calcutta: Superintendent, Government Printing (1918). Pp. 7-29 on line, Project South Asia.
- ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Sanchi
- ^ Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns. (Provisional). Census Commission of India. Retrieved on 2007-09-03. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 36 BC - In the Battle of Naulochus, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, Admiral of Octavian, defeats Sextus Pompeius
Literature
- Dehejia, Vidya. (1992). Collective and Popular Bases of Early Buddhist Patronage: Sacred Monuments, 100 BC-AD 250. In B. Stoler Miller (ed. ) The Powers of Art. Oxford University Press: Oxford. ISBN 0-19-562842-X.
- Dehejia, Vidya. (1997). Indian Art. Phaidon: London. ISBN 0-7148-3496-3.
- Mitra, Debala. (1971). Buddhist Monuments. Sahitya Samsad: Calcutta. ISBN 0896844900
External links
See also
The Decline of Buddhism in India, in the land of its birth occurred for a variety of reasons and happened even as it continued to flourish beyond the frontiers of India Buddhism is a world religion which arose in Bihar, India and is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, who is known as the Buddha (literally Buddhist religious architecture developed in the South Asia in the third century BCDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic