Buddhism in a stone
The remains of Buddhist architecture and
sculpture at Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh tell the story of the Rise, flowering and
gradual decline of the Buddhism in India.
Located on a hill
in Raisen District, around 50 kilometer from Bhopal and 10 km from the trading religious and art hub Vidisa is Sanchi, a site known for
its stupas, pillars, temple, monasteries and is sculptural wealth. It is great
place to see the beginning, efflorescence and decay of Buddhist art and
architecture from the 3rd Century BCE to the 12th century CE. In a
way, Sanchi covers the entire period of Buddhism in India. As the historian
Upinder Singh says, it provides a remarkable history of Buddhism in stone
spanning some 15 centuries.
Sanchi, a world
Heritage site, has an ancient past. Prehistoric paintings and tools have been
found at the well- known Bhimbetka Caves, another World Heritage site nearby. Recent archaeological and hydrological
studies by Julia shaw and Jon Sutcliffe have brought to light ancient
irrigation works belonging to 2nd year 1st century BCE.
The presence of mud Dams and reservoir indicates
the prevalence of rainwater harvesting for drinking water requirements and for
irrigation, possibly in rice cultivation. During the Buddha’s time this area
formed a part of the mahajanapada of Akira in the western Malwa region. Sanchi is
referred to as Kakanaya in early Brahmi inscriptions found in the site. In the
fourth century it was known as Khan Kakanadabota, while a late 17th century
inscription refers to it as Bota-Sri parvata. An early Buddhist text
mahaparinibhhanasutta, says that when the Buddha was breathing his last, he
called in his favorite disciples Ananda, Sariputta and Mahamogalana and told
them that after his death his body should
be cremated, the ashes distributed and stupas erected over them at crossroads.
following his death, the Buddha’s relics
were divided into eight portions and stupas were built over them
Meanwhile, the
powerful Maurya emperor Ashoka was establishing his political supremacy across
the subcontinent. However after the battle of Kalinga, in which many lives were
lost, Ashoka decided to transform hismself and soon became a devout Buddhist.
It is said that out of his zeal to spread Buddhism, he opened 7 of 8 original
stupas and got the Buddha’s relics redistributed.
Stupas were built over the places where
the relics were kept. According to legend he built around 84000 stupas all over
Northern India and in areas now in Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
Ashoka and Sanchi
Ashoka also viewed
the core of Stupa 1, known as Mahastupa or the great Stupa, at Sanchi. The
archaeologist MK Dhavalikar says this is indicated by the fact that the level
of the stupa’s floor is the same as that
of the Ashokan pillar nearby. Further,
fragments of the chunar sandstone umbrella over the ear structure bear
the characteristics mirror-like police seen on Ashokan pillars.
why did Ashoka
choose a site that was not directly connected with the life of the Buddha? The
place was not directly connected with any incident in the Buddha’s life. The
Buddha did not visit the place and it is not mentioned in any Buddhist source.
Neither Fa Hien nr hien Tsang, the famous Chinese pilgrim who travelled to
India in ancient time to visit Buddhist religious centers, mentioned the place.
. Ashoka’s connection
with Sanchi can be traced to his wife Devi, who was the daughter of merchant
based at Vidisha. He married her while serving as the Governor of Ujjaini. The only early reference to the site in
Buddhist literature is found in the Sri Lankan Chronicles Mahavamsa and Dipadra,
son of Ashoka and Devi, on his way to Sri Lanka as a missionary halted at
Vidisha to see his mother. She apparently took him to the beautiful monastery
of Vidishagiri that she had built all likelihood, in Sanchi. The quietude and seclusion of the hilltop and
its suitability at a place for meditation and monastic life may have influence
the choice of location. The patronage of rich mercantile community from Vidisha
are ensured a sustained supply of resource and also patronage by traders and
business.
Architecture and evolution
The Mahastupa consists of a hemispherical Mound build over a
relic chamber. It has a truncated and flattened top on which rest a square chamber
which has a railing and a central pillar
supporting a stone triple umbrella formation. There are two circumambulatory
passages. There is an elevated terrace enclosed by 3 bar railing and accessd by
two flights of stairs from the Southern gateway. The second circumambulatory
passage is on the ground surrounding the mound.
This whole structure has been put within a stone encloser with a similar
three bar railing with four carved gateways built in four Cardinal directions.
The ground balustrade in tern consists of a stone up righ,t horizontal, cross bars and copings, most of which have inscriptions mentioning the
name of donors. The three umbrellas on the summits symbolize the “Three Jewels”
of Buddhism-the Buddha, Dharma and sangha.
Built with the
buff brownish stone the great Stupa
measures 36.8 meters in diameter and 21.64 metre in height from the ground
level to the original chattravali. The complex was built over several hundred
years. The core of the stupa was built
of mud and bricks by Ashoka in the third century BCE. Monolithic pillar of
finely polished sandstone was also erected. It consisted of a tapering Monolithic
shaft adorned by four lions. While the stump of the Monolithic shaft in situ,
the lion Capital is exhibited in the site museum. The pillar which was
apparently broken into several pieces by a local Zamindar for pressing sugarcane carried in Ashokan edict identical
to the one at Sarnath warning monks and nuns against schisms in the Buddhist
community.
Ashoka’s mud and bricks stupa got a stone encasing and enlarged
in ustrades, a berm, starways,and the harmika was also built durig this period
and so were stupas 2 and 3. The role of
the sanghas in the persecution of Buddhist and their art is debatable one. It has also been
suggested that the first sunga ruler Pushyamitra destroyed the original Sanchi
stupa. However his son Agnimitra gave it a facelift. Besides the Bharhut Stupa was also erected during
this period. So when the sunga may have been Pro Hindu they do not come across as
consistently anti Buddhist. Sanchi
architecture is testimony to the coexistence of Hindus and Buddhist certainly
for a long period of time.
In the first
century CE the Andhra satavahanas who had extended their sway over Eastern Malwa constructed the elaborately
carved gateways to stupas 1 and 3. The
gateways and the balustrade were built and painted. An inscription on the
talkative of the south and gateway records that it was a gift of Ananda the
royal architect of king satakarni the ruler has been identified as satakarni
second of the Andhra Satavahana dynasty who according to The Puranas control a
large empire in Central and western India and in the Deccan with the his
capital at Pratishthanhis coins have
also been found in the Malwa region the things that the early group of Ajanta
Caves were possibly also caused during satkarni second rain in the second half
of the first century
Around 1:50 CE
the satavahanas were displayed by the sucks at Ritu initially work Governors of
the questions ruling from Mathura and later assumed Independence and ruled from
Ujjain the satraps intern were removed by the Gupta rulers around the 99 CE
when Chandragupta II stablished control over Malwa one of the inscription dated
412 – 13 CC On The balustrade of stop first talks about this the discovery of
Mathura sandstone images in the Sanchi Complex so that even in the 4 century
Mathura continue to meet Sachin hands local at started floor Singh in the reason
soon afterwards and manifestation of this hand is the presence of Buddha images
seated and canopies against the term of Lok 1 facing the for entrances however
even during the head of the Guptas figure of the Buddha from the 18 years of
Sachi fail shot in a standard and number when compared with their counterparts
at Sarnath
The post Gupta
period was once of gradual decline of Buddhism monastery is and temples have
affected at Saatchi during the 7th century when was house was ruling
over Northern India the presence of
images of virus active Tara and merici belonging to the 12th century
indicates that the vagina also had temporary influence at the site evidence
suggests that Sachi has declined as a Buddhist centre by the 12 century
Gateways the Crowning Glory
The four gateways
in the Cardinal direction according to the dhavalikar constituent the most
impressive artistic reaction creation of its class in ancient India they form
the Crowning Glory of Buddhist art at Sanchi all the all of 4 verb uterine the
same time the South Khan Gateway was the first to be rejected and formed the
main entrance to the store this is indicated by the location of the Ashokan
pillar at the entrance and the learning of the day on the side
The great Voda
intregated leak out on the front and back and even on the side of the pillars
there are traces of red Paint on the eastern Gateway and the balustrade which
indicate that they were painted at same point of time the carving on the
gateways resembles Vinay stylistically the Ivory carving SBI login to the
Satavahana period excavated at Big Ram in Afghanistan and inscription on south
on Gateway records that it was executed by
Ivory workers of Vidisha Diwali
kar things that the original cannings might have been in wood and work letter
replaced by Joseph a stone
The carrying suit
a variety of motives and narrative penis including the Who Thi tree tree Ratna
store representation of Buddha 8 auspicious symbols the wish fulfilling Creeper
or tree besides figure of animals humans and mythical creatures did a pic in
their significant episodes and miracles in Buddha’s life and his previous
incarnations as Buddha stuff to Arc described in the Jatak
tales. The Buddha has been
represented by footprints heroes empty Thrones canopy under the Bodhi tree and
so on instead of in a human form among human are mythical figure a horse rider
corpulent half males and nymph some of
the freezers of Sanchi also so devotees in Greek attire celebrating the store
art historian with their behavior says the Architects of Sanchi you the visual
storytelling as a way of popularizing the Buddhist phase measurement in the
Buddha’s life was given a historical dimension through visual biography is that
became the text of emails which appear everywhere 2 presented in different ways
The Sachin carvings
and embellishment were funded by the local population individual men and women
family groups and village Association of Buddhist and Hindu Linux and monks and
nuns there was no Royal patronage as is usually is used for Enterprises of this
kind around 631 records of donation are inscribed on the carvings search
donation were connected to the idea of spiritual and religious married common
to both Hindus and Buddhis behavior says the donors may have requested their
favourite stories to be carved on the penis and then have their names in
scribed on them this may explain why certain stories are repeated on the
gateways
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