Sanchi Stupa and why it was built | Story of Buddha | Ashoka & relics of Gautama Buddha
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The Great Stupa at Sanchi
The Great Stupa at Sanchi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the oldest stone structures in India. It was originally commissioned by emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE. The oldest, and the largest monument, is the Great Stupa and has a Pillar of Ashoka.
Sanchi is a great example of ancient Indian and Buddhist architecture starting from the Maurya Empire period (3rd century BCE), continuing with the Gupta Empire period (5th century CE), and ending around the 12th century CE.
So why was Sanchi Stupa built?
For that, let’s look at the story of Buddha and what happened when He died.
Gautama Buddha, who lived in ancient India between 5th and 4th century BCE, is revered as the founder of the world religion of Buddhism. He was born in Lumbini, now in Nepal, and raised in Kapilvastu. He got his enlightenment in Bodh Gaya and gave his first sermon in Sarnath.
The top of the front face of the right pillar of the Northern Gateway shows the descent of Buddha by a miraculous ladder attended by Brahma and Indra. The second panel shows young Siddhartha leaving his father’s palace in Kapilavastu. The third panel represents Buddha teaching the Shakyas.
Buddha died in Kusinagara around 483BC. According to Mahaparinibbana Sutta, after his death, Buddha was cremated and the ashes were divided among his followers.
Now this is where it gets very interesting!
King of the Mallas brought the relics of the Buddha to Kushinagara. The western gateway rear top shows the king, seated on an elephant, bearing the relics into the town of Kusinagara.
Seven neighbouring kingdoms wanted their share of the relics. A war broke out and a siege was laid by the seven kings. Seen here on Western Gateway, seven kings distinguished by their seven royal umbrellas, are advancing with their armies to the city of Kushinagara. On the Southern Gateway, we can see the victorious chiefs departing in chariots and on elephants, with the relics on their heads.
His relics were enshrined and worshipped in stupas by the royals of eight countries: Kapilavastu, Ramagrama, Kushinagar, Pava, Mallas, Allakappa, Vaishali and Magadha.
200 Years later in about 263 BCE, Ashoka the great, converted to Buddhism after witnessing the mass deaths of Kalinga War. He found many Buddhist stupas were in ruins. In the left pillar on Southern Gateway, King Ashoka is shown in grief at the condition of the pipal tree in Bodh Gaya. He then built the Bodhi tree temple as shown in the Top panel.
In order to spread the Buddhism, Ashoka tried to gather the eight shares of the relics. However, he could obtain only seven of these. He failed to secure the relics from Ramagrama as he was opposed by the powerful Nagas. This act of resistance is shown here in the Southern Gateway.
Ashoka distributed the seven relics into 84,000 boxes made of gold, silver and crystal. He erected 84,000 stupas, yes, you heard it right 84000 and kept these boxes inside the stupas. Even today, we can see them from Taxila in Pakistan to Nalanda in Bihar, from Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh to Sannati in Karnataka.
So that’s the story of Sanchi Stupa and why it was built.
It is indeed remarkable that Sanchi Stupa has survived for more than 2,000 years and is still the best preserved group of Buddhist monuments in India. It is 50 Kms from Bhopal and makes for an excellent day trip.
When you are here, do not forget to circumambulate the Stupa clockwise and see the capital of Ashoka pillar in the nearby museum.
Sanchi is a great example of ancient Indian and Buddhist architecture starting from the Maurya Empire period (3rd century BCE), continuing with the Gupta Empire period (5th century CE), and ending around the 12th century CE.
So why was Sanchi Stupa built?
For that, let’s look at the story of Buddha and what happened when He died.
Gautama Buddha, who lived in ancient India between 5th and 4th century BCE, is revered as the founder of the world religion of Buddhism. He was born in Lumbini, now in Nepal, and raised in Kapilvastu. He got his enlightenment in Bodh Gaya and gave his first sermon in Sarnath.
The top of the front face of the right pillar of the Northern Gateway shows the descent of Buddha by a miraculous ladder attended by Brahma and Indra. The second panel shows young Siddhartha leaving his father’s palace in Kapilavastu. The third panel represents Buddha teaching the Shakyas.
Buddha died in Kusinagara around 483BC. According to Mahaparinibbana Sutta, after his death, Buddha was cremated and the ashes were divided among his followers.
Now this is where it gets very interesting!
King of the Mallas brought the relics of the Buddha to Kushinagara. The western gateway rear top shows the king, seated on an elephant, bearing the relics into the town of Kusinagara.
Seven neighbouring kingdoms wanted their share of the relics. A war broke out and a siege was laid by the seven kings. Seen here on Western Gateway, seven kings distinguished by their seven royal umbrellas, are advancing with their armies to the city of Kushinagara. On the Southern Gateway, we can see the victorious chiefs departing in chariots and on elephants, with the relics on their heads.
His relics were enshrined and worshipped in stupas by the royals of eight countries: Kapilavastu, Ramagrama, Kushinagar, Pava, Mallas, Allakappa, Vaishali and Magadha.
200 Years later in about 263 BCE, Ashoka the great, converted to Buddhism after witnessing the mass deaths of Kalinga War. He found many Buddhist stupas were in ruins. In the left pillar on Southern Gateway, King Ashoka is shown in grief at the condition of the pipal tree in Bodh Gaya. He then built the Bodhi tree temple as shown in the Top panel.
In order to spread the Buddhism, Ashoka tried to gather the eight shares of the relics. However, he could obtain only seven of these. He failed to secure the relics from Ramagrama as he was opposed by the powerful Nagas. This act of resistance is shown here in the Southern Gateway.
Ashoka distributed the seven relics into 84,000 boxes made of gold, silver and crystal. He erected 84,000 stupas, yes, you heard it right 84000 and kept these boxes inside the stupas. Even today, we can see them from Taxila in Pakistan to Nalanda in Bihar, from Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh to Sannati in Karnataka.
So that’s the story of Sanchi Stupa and why it was built.
It is indeed remarkable that Sanchi Stupa has survived for more than 2,000 years and is still the best preserved group of Buddhist monuments in India. It is 50 Kms from Bhopal and makes for an excellent day trip.
When you are here, do not forget to circumambulate the Stupa clockwise and see the capital of Ashoka pillar in the nearby museum.
4 سال پیش
در تاریخ 1399/01/03 منتشر شده
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