The gates of the Great Stupa were installed around 35 BC, but they were all destroyed by time by the time they were found by the British. Now they have been replaced. The scenes carved on the columns and triangular architraves are mainly from the Jatakas, stories about the earthly reincarnations of the Buddha. During this period of art, the Buddha was never depicted directly, but his presence was identified by recognizable symbols. The lotus signified his birth, the bodhi tree signified enlightenment, the wheel signified his teaching, and the footprints and throne signified his presence. The stupa itself also symbolizes Buddha.
The northern gate, topped with a broken wheel of justice, is the best preserved. Among the images is a monkey offering a bowl of honey to Buddha. Buddha is represented here as a bodhi tree. On the other is the miracle of Sravasti, one of several miracles depicted here, when the Buddha in the form of a bodhi tree rises into the air. Elephants support the architraves above the columns, and delicately carved yakshas hang fearlessly on each side. (virgin).
The stunningly carved figurayal-shi hanging from the architrave on the east gate is one of the most famous images at Sanchi. One of the pillars, supported by elephants, depicts the Buddha's achievement of nirvana. Another scene is Maya's dream (Maya), the mother of Buddha, about an elephant standing on the moon, which she dreamed of at the time of Buddha’s conception. Right in the center of the main architrave is the Great Departure, when the Buddha (horse without rider) renounced the sensual life and went to seek enlightenment.
Lions standing back to back on the southern gate - the oldest - form the national emblem of India, which can be seen on any banknote. This gate tells the story of Ashoka's Buddhist life, with scenes of the Buddha's birth and Great Disappearance. This also depicts the Chahaddanta Jataka, a story in which the Bodhisattva (Bodhisattva; Buddha before he achieved enlightenment) took the form of a king of elephants with six tusks. The less beloved of the elephant king's two wives was so jealous of the second that she decided to starve to death and swore an oath that she would be reborn as the queen of Benares. (former name of the city of Varanasi) to take revenge on her husband for not loving her enough. Her wish was granted, and when she became queen, she ordered the hunters to find and kill the king of the elephants. But before the hunter killed the elephant, he handed him his tusks. This act was so noble that the queen died of remorse.
Pot-bellied dwarfs support the architraves of the western gate, which depict some of the most interesting scenes. On the main architrave we see Buddha in seven different reincarnations (three times its symbol is a stupa and four times a tree). The reverse side of one of the columns depicts Buddha resisting the temptation of Mara (Buddhist personification of evil, often called the Buddhist devil): The demons flee and the angels triumph.
Other Sanchi stupas
Stupa 2 is located in the middle of the western slope (turn right from stupa 1). If you followed the main road from the village, you can go down past Stupa 2, but be prepared to climb the fence at the bottom of the hill. Instead of gates, the surrounding wall of the stupa is decorated with medallions, naive, but full of energy and imagination. The stupa is surrounded by a ring of images of flowers, animals, people, many of whom are heroes of myths.
Stupa 3 stands northeast of the Great Stupa (if you go through the main entrance, she will be on the left). It is similar in design to the Great Stupa, but a little smaller, and there is only one, but very beautiful gate. It once housed the remains of two important disciples of the Buddha, Sari Putgha and Mahi Moggallana. (Sari Puttha; Maha Moggallana). They were moved to London in 1853, but were returned in 1953 and now rest in the modern vihara.
From ancient Stupa 4 (II century BC) only the base remains, located behind Stupa 3. Between Stupas 1 and 3 is a small Stupa 5. It used to house a statue of Buddha, which now stands in the museum.
Columns in Sanchi
Among the remains of pillars scattered all over, the most important is pillar 10, which was built by Ashoka and which was later destroyed. The two upper sections, perfectly proportioned and beautifully carved, lie next to Stupa 1; capital (top of a column, often with sculptural elements) kept in the museum. Column 25 (to the left of stupa 1) dates back to the era of the Shunga Empire (II century BC), another, less impressive column 35 (to the right of stupa 1) dates back to the 5th century. AD
Buddhist temples
Temple 18 behind the Great Stupa of Sanchi is a chaitya (hall for prayers and meetings). Its style is very reminiscent of classical ancient Greek buildings with columns. The temple dates back to the 7th century. AD, but underneath there are traces of earlier wooden buildings. On the left is Temple 17, which also resembles Greek architecture. Behind them is Temple 40, dating from the Ashoka era.
Rectangular Temple 31 (behind mortar 5) was built in the 6th or 7th century. It was reconstructed in the X-XI centuries. There is a beautifully crafted image of Buddha here.
Monasteries
The very first monasteries were built of wood, and they collapsed long ago. They usually consisted of a central courtyard surrounded by monastic cells. Only the courtyards and stone foundations have survived to this day. Monasteries 45 and 47, standing on the eastern ridge to the left of Stupa 1, date from the period of transition from Buddhism to Hinduism, as the architecture has clear Hindu elements. In one of the monasteries there are two statues of sitting Buddhas, one of which is amazing.
Behind Monastery 51, halfway down the hill towards Stupa 2, is the Great Bowl, carved in stone. Food and offerings for the monks were placed here.
Vihara
Literally the word vihara (9.00-17.00) , translated as "tomb". It was built to store the relics from Stupa 3. They can be seen every last Sunday of the month. The museum is located on the left, immediately at the entrance to the complex.
Archaeological Museum
visit 5 rupees, free if you have a ticket to visit the stupas;
8.00-17.00 Sat-Thurs
This wonderful museum has a small collection of local sculptures. The main artifact is the lion capital from Pillar 10, built by Ashoka and dating from the 3rd century. BC e. Other interesting things to note include a yakshi hanging from a mango tree and beautiful red sandstone figures of a serene Buddha - the earliest found anywhere in the world. There are also some interesting photographs of the area before restoration.
Information
Ticket price:
Indians/foreigners 10/250 rupees, car 10 rupees, museum 5 rupees;
Sunrise Sunset
The stupas at the top of Sanchi Hill are easily accessible via a path and stone steps at the end of Monuments Road (Monuments Rd; this is a continuation of the street starting from the railway station) where the cash register is located.
If you are going to the stupas at dawn, buy your ticket a day in advance. Remember: It is considered auspicious to walk around Buddhist monuments in a clockwise direction.
There is no currency exchange in Sanchi, the nearest ATM is in Vidisha. There are Internet cafes in several places in the market near the bus station (hour 30-40 rupees)
Road there and back
Bike
You can rent a bike at the market near the bus station. (hour/day 5/30 rupees).
Bus
There are regular buses between Sanchi and Bhopal (25 rupees, 1.5 hours, 6.00-22.00), there are also flights to Vidisha (8 rupees, 20 minutes, 6.00-23.00). It is better to wait for the bus in the village at the crossroads than to go to the bus station, which is located on the right when exiting the train station.
Train
You can travel to Sanchi from Bhopal by train. The journey takes less than an hour, so there is no need to reserve a seat: just arrive a little early, buy a general ticket (7-21 rupees) and get on the train. There are six daily trains from Bhopal (8.00, 10.20, 15.15, 16.10, 18.00 and 20.55). Back - only four (8.00, 8.50, 16.30 and 19.10).
Northern gate of the stupa in Sanchi
(3rd century BC)
Sanchi is a modern village near the city of Bhilsa in the state of Madhya Pradesh in Central India. Here in the 3rd century BC the ancient Vidisha was located - the capital of the state of Eastern Malva, which was the local center of Buddhism.
Nearby on a hill there are remains of a complex of Buddhist buildings, mainly temples and stupas. The great stupa at Sanchi gained worldwide fame thanks to the “torans” - four gates in the enclosure surrounding it. Abundantly decorated with reliefs and round sculpture, they are an example of the synthesis of plastic and architectural forms that has been so characteristic of Indian art for thousands of years.
The peculiar hemispherical shape of the stupa is a symbol of one of the most important concepts of Buddhism - nirvana - a state in which liberation from karma has been achieved. Since Buddha was considered the first person to achieve nirvana and show the way to it, the stupa became a symbol of Buddha himself. In a Buddhist monastery, a stupa is the most sacred object of worship.
The stupa in Sanchi was erected at the behest of the Indian ruler Ashoka Maurya in the 3rd century BC on the spot from where, according to legend, his son went to the island of Lanka (now Sri Lanka) to spread Buddhism there. In the 2nd century BC, the stupa was surrounded by a massive vedika fence and increased in volume. In the second half of the 1st century BC, four gates were built, oriented towards the cardinal points. First the southern gates were built, later the northern, eastern and lastly the western. They were created at intervals of about a decade.
In the fences of Buddhist stupas, the gates were built of stone, with rich sculptural decoration. Their name - torana - comes from the Sanskrit word “tor” - “passage”.
When constructing the gate of the Great Stupa in Sanchi, the craftsmen unwittingly continued the traditions of wooden architecture common in Ancient India. Therefore, the upper half of the gate is too heavy for a stone structure. It gives the impression of instability. Nevertheless, they were able to stand for two millennia without even being attached to a powerful fence.
The gate is completely covered with reliefs, which, together with the round sculpture decorating it, together with the abundant plastic decoration of this simple structure at its core, turn it into a solemn portal. However, the plastic design of the torans does not give the impression of being overloaded, and the subjects of the reliefs themselves exactly correspond to the traditions and legends.
In general, the sculptural design of the gates can be divided into three main groups. The first is a sculpture that is part of the gate structure. These are the so-called elephant capitals and next to them are consoles in the form of female figures. The second is a round sculpture crowning the gate: symbolic figures, as well as figures of lions and horsemen. And finally, the third - larger reliefs, clearly visible from the ground, located on pillars and at the intersection of pillars and architraves, as well as miniature reliefs covering the beams of the architraves in a continuous mass.
As the researcher of Indian culture S.I. Tyulyaev writes: “The observed variety of techniques for combining sculpture and architecture is highly characteristic of Indian art.
Each pillar is covered with a low square slab - an abacus; between it and the edge of the lower beam, four half-figures of elephants with figures of men and women sitting on them protrude from the solid column. These beautiful sculptural groups, the so-called elephant capitals, create a transition from the lower to the upper part of the gate and to all the other, smaller sculpture.
The compositional significance of the elephant capitals in the architectonics of the torana is reinforced by the large vrikshaka figures occupying the outer right angle between the pillars and the protruding ends of the lower beams on the northern and eastern gates.
The small round sculpture on the architraves plays a decorative role. These include figures of lions seated on volutes, and horsemen placed in tight spaces between vertical lintels connecting horizontal beams.”
It should be noted the dominant position of a number of figures towering on the upper beam. The visual and thematic center here is the Buddha Wheel, mounted on elephants - this is the visual and semantic dominant of the gate dedicated to Buddha. On the sides of the Buddha Wheel stand Guardians of the cardinal points in the form of male figures with fans on their shoulders and Buddhist symbols on a lotus. There are also figures of yakshas - lower deities personifying the forces of nature - and winged lions. All of them complete the decoration of the gate as a decorative whole.
As S.I. Tyulyaev notes: “In general, the sculptures and reliefs of the four torans in Sanchi reflect the whole world, both real and fantastic. Here are presented the people of India and its nature, architecture, life of different segments of the population, images of the poetic myth-making of the people in the form of nature spirits and fantastic creatures, as well as traditions and legends telling about the Buddha, in particular the “jatakas” - legendary stories about the previous lives of the Buddha on earth when he was called Bodhisattva.
The reliefs are mainly devoted to the depiction of previous incarnations of the Buddha in the form of a snake, bird, animal and man, constantly sacrificing themselves for others. Jatakas are usually of a Buddhist didactic nature, but they also contain a lot of folk wisdom. They were very popular in Ancient India and provided abundant material for the visual arts.
The torans in Sanchi can be called Buddhist only formally, since they are associated with the object of the Buddhist cult, the stupa, and the subjects of the reliefs describe events from the life of the Buddha. But there are also images of lower deities of pre-Buddhist origin, widespread in ancient folk beliefs. This includes various kinds of nature spirits: yakshas, vrikshakas and others who are not directly related to Buddhism as a religion and ethical system.
The depiction of flora and fauna occupies an important place in Indian art, an example of this is the sculptural decor of the toran.”
In art, animals appear in a poetic form. On the gate you can see various animals, including such exotic ones as a multi-headed snake. The abundance of figures and objects, leaving no free space, forms a decorative composition, united by a single rhythm and visual balance of the parts. However, even more than the external decorative integrity of the reliefs, one is attracted by the feeling of the joy of being of all nature, the fullness of life. In the first place here is a person and an act of good as an expression of natural popular feeling. Specifically religious motifs are noticeable only in scenes such as the “worship of elephants at the stupa” or “miracles of Buddha.”
In Ancient India, all sculptors - both ordinary and outstanding masters who worked for rich customers - were equally considered artisans. Although their work is usually anonymous, it is by no means impersonal.
Their work was observed by a powerful and learned caste of Brahmin priests. They took care of strict observance of the corresponding signs of deities and their correct iconography. So folk craftsmen worked within the confines of priestly religious canons. But in depicting the animal and plant world, artisans were free from the direct interference of the priesthood.
The decoration of the northern gate gives the most vivid idea of the richness of the visual motifs of all the gates, which, in essence, should be considered together.
The relief of the upper architrave of the northern gate (from the outside) depicts the last seven Buddhas. Here their symbols are five stupas and two trees, with a throne in front of each, signifying a place of reflection. The tree has been revered in India since ancient times.
The pillars at the top depict fantastic animals in higher relief: on the left is a pair of winged horses, and on the right is a winged antelope. These reliefs skillfully diversify the entire decoration, enhance the dynamics of the composition of the stupas and the rhythm of their alternation.
On the middle architrave, the main motif is the seven tree species associated with the seven Buddhas. At the right end of the lower beam is a scene from the Alambusha Jataka. In one of his incarnations, the Bodhisattva was an ascetic, and a female deer fell in love with him. She gave birth to a boy who had a horn on his forehead, hence the child was nicknamed One-Corn. Over time, the boy became, like his father, an ascetic. His great virtues at some point began to threaten the high position of the king of the gods, Sakra himself. Then Sakra sent a temptress to him in the form of a celestial apsara dancer named Alambusha. Alambusha managed to seduce the ascetic, and they lived together for three years. Later, she revealed everything to him, but, nevertheless, was forgiven and returned to heaven. The relief depicts the moment when a newborn boy with one horn takes his first bath among the lotuses, while his mother deer stands behind. In the middle of the scene, a grown-up boy listens to the instructions of his father, who warns him against the deceit of beautiful women.
The Vessantara Jataka scenes begin on the middle part of the lower architrave of the façade. They tell of the penultimate incarnation of the Bodhisattva, when he was Prince Vessantara and, showing the highest mercy, gave everything to those who asked.
On the relief of the reverse side of the lower architrave the whole family is depicted in the jungle, on the way to the place of exile. The middle part shows scenes from the life of a family in exile.
Every animal, bird, plant or flower is executed with perfection and completeness. Here, for example, a pair of deer stands under a pizang tree. They seem to be talking to each other. The third deer, throwing back his head, watches the monkey in the branches. In the foreground, an elephant enjoys a swim in a pond. The animal lies among the lotuses. The elephant's eyes are closed with pleasure, and he lazily holds the escape with his trunk. A couple of geese can be seen on the plants nearby.
On the middle architrave the plot of the temptation of Buddha by the demon Mara unfolds. This Brahmanical deity of love passion was transformed into a tempting demon because in orthodox Buddhism sexual sensuality was considered the greatest obstacle to liberation. To achieve enlightenment - nirvana - it was necessary to defeat Mara and his army.
The entire right half of the architrave is occupied by a solid crowd of terrible demons with Mara at their head. A host of demons grimace fiercely, trying to instill terror. It presents a disgusting, but at the same time quite humorous picture. The reliefs of the upper architrave show one episode from the Chhaddanta Jataka - the story of an elephant with six tusks, one of the incarnations of the Bodhisattva. The elephant was killed by a hunter sent out of jealousy by Chhaddanta's ex-wife.
Symbols of three of the four most important events in the life of the Buddha - birth, turning of the Wheel of the Law and death - are shown on those parts of the pillars that are located between the architraves.
The sculptural decoration of the gate, so rich in moralizing meaning, extends below the capitals, to the main part of the pillars. On the right, on the front side, the reliefs form three panels, one above the other. At the top you can see the scene of Buddha's descent from heaven to earth. A staircase descends along the central axis, next to it is the tree of knowledge and a throne below it. Brahma and Indra accompany the descending Buddha, who is invisible. On the sides of the tree one can see those who worship it: at the top are deities, at the bottom are people.
The lower panel partially shows scenes of the Shakiyas' conversion to Buddhism and the miracle at Kapilavastu, the capital of the Shakiya tribe: this plot is shown in fuller form on the other side of the pillar.
Most of the scenes on the front side of the left pillar are dedicated to the events in the city of Shravasti. The inner side of the pillar is dedicated mainly to events associated with Rajagriha, the capital of Magadha during the time of Buddha.
The reliefs do not end there; they also cover the outer sides of the pillars, and on their reverse side, where they rise above the adjacent fence, one small relief is also placed. Themes from the Jatakas continue and are sometimes repeated at different gates.
Both in terms of their antiquity and artistic merit, the torans of the Great Stupa in Sanchi are a remarkable phenomenon in the art of India. From the period to which their construction dates back, almost no monuments have survived that are equally richly decorated with sculpture and, moreover, have interesting inscriptions. The stupa at Sanchi was apparently highly revered. Its gates were often depicted in reliefs of various monuments.
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Sanchi is one of the best preserved complexes of Buddhist architecture in South Asia.
Here in central India, on the top of a sandstone mountain, in the 3rd-12th centuries AD. many stupas, temples, monasteries and pillars were built, and the Great Stupa, 16.5 meters high, towers over all of them.
Around its base are processional walkways with stone railings. There are four tall ceremonial gates located at the cardinal points. They are covered with reliefs depicting scenes from the life of Buddha and the early history of Buddhism.
The dome of the stupa is installed on the base - a truncated hemisphere 36.6 meters in diameter. It is crowned by a rectangular stone fence, inside of which there is a triple stone umbrella. The massiveness of the stupa and the intricate carvings of the gates and railings create a striking contrast, but the initial impression must have been even stronger.
The dome and pedestal were faced with white lime concrete, the gates and fences were painted with translucent red paint, the body of the stupa was decorated with wreaths and garlands, and the umbrellas on the top were gilded.
The monument that we see today was built and decorated over several centuries. The large stupa was founded by the ruler of the Maurya Empire Ashoka (272-235 BC) in the middle of the 3rd century BC. The first brick structure was half the size of the current stupa and probably contained the remains of the Buddha himself.
Ashoka also erected a memorial pillar of polished limestone 13 meters high near the stupa, on which was carved an edict prohibiting schisms within the Buddhist religious community. The gate was built a century later, during the reign of Satakarni II (50-25 BC) of the Satavahana dynasty.
Subsequent changes were carried out not by kings, but by hundreds of private individuals - monks and nuns, traders, merchants and masons, whose names are carved on the parts they donated.
Stupas are one of the earliest forms of Buddhist architecture. They were originally built in various places to store particles of the ashes of the Buddha (c. 563-483 BC), divided after his passing into nirvana.
But these hills made of brick, earth or stone already became objects of worship during the time of Ashoka. The large stupa remained the center of a Buddhist temple for almost 1,400 years until the jungle took over the site.
The stupa at Sanchi is very beautiful in its simplicity. This is a stone hemisphere surrounded by a balustrade, on top of which there is a small square “balcony” with a traditional stone “umbrella” in the middle.
The stupa is surrounded by an impressive fence with four gates on each side of the compass.
The gate of the Great Stupa fence (they are called torana) is an outstanding work of ancient Indian architecture.
The design of the gate is simple: it consists of two pillars with three horizontal crossbars. However, the pillars and crossbars are covered with a variety of relief and sculptural images and create the effect of visual contrast against the background of the smooth surface of the stupa, devoid of decoration.
The gate of the sanctuary in Sanchi is a unique collection of religious, symbolic, historical and everyday scenes and images, folk tales and legends about Buddha.
The main themes of the reliefs are the life of Buddha in different incarnations. There are numerous symbols of Buddhism here - a wheel, a tree, a lotus. The gates are decorated with sculptures of nature spirits - yakshins, as well as birds and animals - elephants, lions.
In the plots of the Sanchi gate, Buddhist doctrine and ancient Indian folk mythological tales are closely intertwined.
Among the relief images one can see fantastic images hitherto unknown in Indian art: for example, flying lions.
And the figures of Yakshins - female deities of nature - on the gate to Sanchi determined the ideal of the female physique in Indian stone carvings for many centuries to come, becoming the standard of Indian sculpture.
Fragments of sculptures from the Sanchi sanctuary, in particular the torso of a yakshini from the southern gate, can today be seen in the Boston Museum (USA).
And the Great Stupa complex in Sanchi itself is one of the outstanding historical and cultural monuments and attractions of India, included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Emperor Ashoka did not stop at building just one Great Stupa in Sanchi - here he erected several more stupas (previously there were seven), some of which can still be seen today.
The second and third stupas were still well preserved, but the rest, unfortunately, were practically destroyed - after all, the Muslim conquerors did not stand on ceremony with the treasures of the “infidels” (for a long time all these values were completely abandoned, and they were rediscovered only in the nineteenth century).
In this place, even those who are not adherents of Buddhism feel amazing energy and cannot help but admire the ancient buildings that have passed through millennia.
Just for the sake of these sensations, for the sake of the view of the stone masses that carry the secrets of many generations, it is worth going to India - a mysterious country that has saved so much valuable things for us.
One of the iconic landmarks; the prototype for all subsequent stupas in Buddhism. Built in the 3rd century BC. during the reign of Ashoka the Great. At his insistence, the walls were painted with images not only of Buddhist mythology, but also of the ancient Greeks. The Great Stupa is included in the version of our website.
Geographically, it is located 40-50 km from Bhopal and the best way to get there is by excursion bus, rented car or taxi. In the 2nd century BC. The stupa has been slightly rebuilt. A stone torana gate and a 40-ton column appeared next to it. The shape of the gate resembles wooden architecture as it is decorated with exquisite carvings.
There are many other ancient structures on the territory of Sanchi. One of the most revered is Temple 17, built in the 5th century AD. For a long time, Sanchi remained an important center of Buddhist art, but with the rise of Islam it fell into decline. The village was rediscovered and restored by the British in 1818. Today, this hemispherical building serves as a memorial monument in Buddhist architecture.
Photo attraction: Stupa in the village of Sanchi
Sanchi village is 9 km away. from the city of Vidisha and 46 km. from Bhopal - the administrative center of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is unique not only for the presence of the most advanced and well-preserved stupas, including Great Stupa of Sanchi, but also offers broad educational areas of study of the origins, flourishing and decline of Buddhist art and architecture over almost thirteen centuries, starting from the 3rd century BC. e. until the 12th century AD e., practically covering the entire spectrum of Indian Buddhism.
Surprisingly, Sanchi was not sanctified in any way in the life of the Buddha. Xuan Zang, who so carefully recorded the details associated with Buddhist monuments, remains silent about this. The only possible reference to Sanchi is found in the Sri Lankan chronicles, according to which Mahinda, the son of Emperor Ashoka and Queen Devi, visited his mother at Vidisha, who in turn took him to a beautiful monastery. Mahinda stayed there for a month and then went to Sri Lanka to spread the teachings of the Buddha.
Emperor Ashoka contributed in every possible way to the spread of Buddhism in India. During his reign, he built many stupas - Buddhist sanctuaries, one of the three main types of Buddhist architecture. One such structure is the Great Stupa at Sanchi, erected by the ruler at the place from where his son went to Sri Lanka.
The large Sanchi stupa is hemispherical in shape and has no interior. It stands on a platform with a diameter of 31 meters with a terrace located on it, which served as a venue for ceremonies. Like the platform, the stupa is made of stone and brick, and inside it are kept relics associated with the Buddha. The great stupa of Sanchi served as the prototype for all subsequent stupas.
The stupa was originally white and the gate and terrace were red. In ancient times, it was surrounded by monastic buildings that have not survived to this day. The shape of the stupa has symbolic meaning. The hemisphere symbolizes the firmament, and on its top there is a harmika - a small superstructure with a square base, which symbolizes the sacred Mount Meru. Above the harmika there is a rod running through the entire dome with round umbrellas placed on it, successively decreasing in diameter. The rod symbolizes the world axis, and the umbrellas are the three sacred heavens.
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In the fence of the sanctuary, on the four cardinal points, there are gates decorated with sculpture. Solemn processions passed through them to perform a sacred rite: it consisted of walking around the stupa and ascending the procession to the top of the platform. The gates of the Great Stupa are an outstanding work of ancient Indian architecture. In the subjects of the sculptures of the Sanchi gate, ancient Indian mythological tales and Buddhist doctrine are closely intertwined.
The Sanchi monuments were abandoned for many centuries until they were rediscovered by the British in 1818. A century later, a museum was opened here, and in 1989 Sanchi was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
