Things to do in Sanchi
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Southern Gateway
The back-to-back lions supporting the oldest gateway form the state emblem of India and can be seen on every banknote; they're an excellent example of the Greco-Buddhist art of that era. The gateway narrates Ashoka's life as a Buddhist, with scenes of Buddha's birth and another representation of the Great Departure. Also featured is the Chhaddanta Jataka, in which Buddha took the form of a six-tusked elephant. One of his two wives became jealous and had the elephant hunted and killed. The sight of his tusks, sawn off by the hunter, was sufficient for the queen to die of remorse.
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Northern Gateway
Topped by a broken wheel of law, this is the best preserved of the toranas. Scenes include a monkey offering a bowl of honey to Buddha, represented by a bo tree. Another panel depicts the Miracle of Sravasti - one of several miracles represented here - in which Buddha, again in the form of a bo tree, ascends a road into the air. Elephants support the architraves above the columns, while horses with riders and more elephants squeeze in between.
Delicately carved yakshis (maidens) hang nonchalantly on each side.
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Toranas
Four gateways were erected around 35 BC and had all completely fallen down at the time of the stupa's restoration. Scenes carved onto the pillars and their triple architraves are mainly tales from the Jatakas, episodes from Buddha's various lives. At this stage in Buddhist art he was never represented directly - his presence was alluded to through symbols. The lotus stands for his birth, the bodhi tree his enlightenment, the wheel his teachings, and the footprint and throne his presence. The stupa itself also symbolises Buddha.
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Eastern Gateway
The breathtakingly carved figure of a yakshi, hanging from an architrave, is one of Sanchi's best-known images. One of the pillars, supported by elephants, features scenes from Buddha's entry to nirvana. Another shows Buddha's mother Maya's dream of an elephant standing on the moon, which she had when he was conceived. Across the front of the middle architrave is the Great Departure, when Buddha (a riderless horse) renounced the sensual life and set out to find enlightenment.
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Pillars
Of the scattered remains of pillars, the most important is Pillar 10, erected by Ashoka and later broken by a local landowner. Two upper sections of this beautifully proportioned and executed shaft lie side by side under a shelter 20m away; the capital (pillar's top, usually sculpted) is in the museum. Pillar 25, dating from the Sunga period (2nd century BC) and the 5th-century AD Pillar 35 are not as fine as the earlier pillar.
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Western Gateway
Potbellied dwarfs support the architraves of this gateway, which has some of the site's most interesting scenes. The top architrave shows Buddha in seven different incarnations, manifested three times as a stupa and four times as a tree. The rear of one pillar shows Buddha resisting the Temptation of Mara, while demons flee and angels cheer. The Chhaddanta Jataka features again.
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Temple 18
Temple 18 is a chaitya (prayer room or assembly hall) remarkably similar in style to classical Greek-columned buildings. It dates from around the 7th century AD, but traces of earlier wooden buildings have been discovered beneath it. Nearby is the small Temple 17, also Greek-like. The large Temple 40, slightly southeast, in part dates back to the Ashokan period.
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Monasteries 45 and 47
The earliest monasteries were made of wood and are long gone. The usual plan is of a central courtyard surrounded by monastic cells. Monasteries 45 and 47, standing on the eastern ridge, date from the transition from Buddhism to Hinduism, with strong Hindu elements in their design. The former has two exceptional sitting Buddhas.
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Archaeological Museum
This museum has a small collection of sculptures. The centrepiece is the lion capital from the Ashoka Pillar 10. Other highlights include a yakshi hanging from a mango tree, and beautifully serene Buddha figures in red sandstone – some of the earliest found anywhere.
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Stupas
The hilltop stupas are reached via a path and stone steps at the end of Monuments Rd, where the ticket office is. There’s a Publication Sale Counter selling postcards and guidebooks inside the monuments enclosure itself, at the top of the hill.
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Temple 31
The rectangular Temple 31 was built in the 6th or 7th century but reconstructed during the 10th or 11th century. It contains a well-executed image of Buddha, which may come from another temple as it doesn't exactly fit its pedestal.
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Great Bowl
Behind Monastery 51, partway down the hill towards Stupa 2, is the Great Bowl, carved from a huge boulder, into which food and offerings were placed for distribution to the monks.
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vihara
The vihara was built to house the returned relics from Stupa 3. They can be viewed on the last Sunday of the month.
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Pathak Restaurant
Among the small restaurants at the bus stand producing cheap, hearty vegetarian meals.
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Gateway Cafeteria
MP Tourism also runs café Gateway Cafeteria, which has two air-cooled bedrooms.
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