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Sanchi Stupa
and Lion Capita NCERT Notes for
UPSC Exam
of India

The Stupa present in Sanchi is one of India’s very early and primary Buddhist sites. And this site
contains some of the oldest structures of stone in the country.
• In 1819 one of the very first accounts of the stupa of Sanchi came from the British captain
Edward Fell.
• It was further said that it was 93 years before the site was ‘rediscovered’ by sir John
Marshall. And later an additional seven before it was restored to its current.
• The caving that is magnificent and inscriptions are reflective of architecture of India from
the Mauryan era that is the 3rd century BCE to its later medieval-era decline which is
around 11th century CE.
• The complex Sanchi is said to be famous for the Mahastupa that is the Great Stupa. The
pillar of Ashokan which is with its inscriptions and its signature ornate torans gateways.
• The style or the design of the torans and the fencing is said to mimic the craft of bamboo
of the area which is surrounding.
• If one looks at the design of the fencing very keenly which is around the stupa so we can
say that the way the torans have been designed they’re reminiscent of bamboo craft and
tied bamboo.
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The Sanchi Stupa

In the history of ancient India, the Mauryan dynasty had a role which is very significant. The
stupa of Sanchi is the very finest example of the sculpture of Mauryan. Learning about the stupa
of Sanchi is very important for the IAS from the perspective of the Art & Culture segment of the
syllabus.
The notes of NCERT on the topic that is Sanchi Stupa & Lion Capital’ are useful for the
preparation of UPSC. These notes will also be very useful for other competitive exams like the
banking PO, the SSC exam of SSC, the state civil services exams and so on.
• Interestingly we can say that lord Buddha never visited Sanchi.
• Neither did the travellers from foreign like Hiuen Tsang. He was the one who extensively
documented the holy Buddhist circuit in India. But he really did not mention Sanchi in his
writings as well.
• Marshall in his The Monuments of Sanchi in 1938, wrote about Sanchi that was not as
revered as other Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India.
• Scholars like Sir Alfred A Foucher say about this topic that the iconic depictions of Buddha
which is as the Bodhi tree that is a riderless horse, an empty throne, etc. at the Sanchi
are products of Graeco-Buddhist architectural interaction.
• The lion capital which is at Sanchi is similar to the one at Sarnath. The main difference
between the two is that the monument depicts Sanchi as an abacus instead of a chakra.
• However the influence of the Sanchi Stupa on our national psyche goes beyond the
capital of the lion. It generally inspired the design of several modern buildings, the chief
being the modern-day Rashtrapati Bhavan.
• The great architect named Edwin Lutyens was asked by Lord Charles Hardinge to
incorporate the symbol that incorporates India’s architecture that is past into the building
and modelled the colonnade to carry a style of Sanchi dome and balustrade railing.

Know which are the Folk Dances of India here.

The Lion Capital of India

• The stupa of Sanchi is a hot spot for tourism in India. It is said to be situated at Sanchi in
Raisen district of state Madhya Pradesh.

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• The Great stupa of Stupa is the oldest structure of stone in the country India and was
originally commissioned by the emperor Ashoka.

• The stupa of Sanchi is located on a hill whose height is 91 m that is 298.48 ft).

• The stupa of Sanchi was tagged as a World Heritage site in 1989 by UNESCO.

The stupa of Sanchi is a hot spot for Buddhist tourists in India. The stupa is really very glorious
at Sanchi that is the oldest stone composition in India and was originally commissioned by the
emperor Ashoka the Great that too in the 3rd century BCE.

The stupa of Sanchi popularly called the Kakanaya, the Kakanadabota and Bota-Sri Parvata in
ancient times has a singular distinction of having remarkable replicas of Buddhist art and
architecture as well. Which is right from the early Mauryan period that is the third century BC to
twelfth century AD.

The stupa of Sanchi is called Stupas in the whole world. Monolithic Asokan pillars, temples,
monasteries and sculptural wealth are other points of attraction.

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Facts About Sanchi Stupa

1. It was the great emperor of Asoka who put the foundations of a religious centre at Sanchi.
Which is probably chosen because of his Queen Devi who was the daughter of a
merchant of Vidisha.
2. We can see that since the 14 century Sanchi remained deserted and undiscovered till
th

1818 when General Taylor rediscovered the site. Sir John Marshall established an
archaeological museum in 1919. Which was later transformed into the present site
museum at Sanchi.
3. The Great Sanchi stupa is the oldest stone structure in India.
4. The Stupa no. 1, or we can say the 'Great Stupa' is the principal monument.
5. It is said to be believed that the stupa of Sanchi is housing the relics of Buddha.
6. The stupa of Sanchi, we can say, especially Stupa 1, it really has a large number of
Brahmi inscriptions.
7. It is said to be 36.5 m in diameter and it rises almost 21.64 meters high.

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8. When the emperor Ashoka once accepted Buddhism, he said that he built his first “stupa”
at Sanchi and later several more. As well as the other structure of religion.
9. This place is said to possess the importance of history even though the Buddha has never
visited the place that is Sanchi.
Read more NCERT Notes on Art & Culture here.

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