The Great Stupa

The Great Stupa at Sanchi is the oldest stone structure in India, originally commissioned by Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BC as a simple brick mound over relics of the Buddha. Expanded and elaborated over the next five centuries, the present hemispherical dome of polished stone stands 16 metres high and 36 metres in diameter, surrounded by a stone railing with four magnificently carved toranas at the cardinal points. The four gateways, added in the 1st century BC under the Satavahanas, carry some of the finest narrative sculpture in Indian art: crowded panels depicting the Jataka tales, scenes from the Buddha's life and episodes from Ashoka's reign. A pradakshina path around the base allows circumambulation. The complex is the centrepiece of a UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed in 1989.