The Great Stupa at Sanchi

The hill at Sanchi holds some of the oldest Buddhist stone architecture still standing in India. The Great Stupa is a plain dome of brick and stone, begun under Ashoka in the third century BC and enlarged afterwards, with a processional walkway and a railing around it, and the point of the visit is the four gateways added at the entrances around the first century BC. Every surface of them is carved with crowded scenes of elephants, riders, guardians and episodes told without ever showing the Buddha in human form, only a tree, a wheel, a pair of footprints. Smaller stupas, monastery foundations and a broken Ashokan pillar are scattered across the hilltop, which is quiet and green.

What you actually see

• The four gateways - carved toranas at the cardinal points, dense with narrative relief.
• The Great Stupa - the plain hemispherical dome with its railing and raised walkway.
• The hilltop ruins - foundations of monasteries, smaller stupas and a broken Ashokan pillar.
• The site museum - sculpture and capitals recovered from the hill, at the foot of the approach road.

When to go

October to March is dry and mild; April and May are hard on an exposed hilltop with no shade. Early morning gives low light across the gateway carving, which is what you want, and the site is nearly empty then. The monsoon turns the hill green and is atmospheric, but the reliefs are less legible under flat grey cloud.

Honest expectations

It is a steep walk up from the ticket office, or a paid vehicle. The stupa itself is unadorned and reads as a large brick mound; if you skip the gateway carving you will wonder what the fuss is. Interpretation on site is minimal and the museum is small. Bhopal is the nearest base and holds little else for most visitors.

Nearby

The rock shelters at Bhimbetka and the town of Vidisha are both within reach of Bhopal.