The Great Stupa at Sanchi: Art, Architecture, and Spirituality

The Great Stupa at Sanchi is one of the most important and well-preserved ancient Buddhist monuments in India. Located in Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh. The Great Stupa, also known as Stupa No. 1, is the largest and most famous of the stupas at Sanchi and serves as a symbol of the spread of Buddhism in India.Emperor Ashokathe Great originally commissioned the Great Stupa in the 3rd century BCE, during the Mauryan Empire. Ashoka, after his conversion to Buddhism following the Kalinga War, became a significant patron of Buddhism and commissioned the construction of several stupas across his empire to house relics of the Buddha. Actually, the original stupa was a simple, hemispherical brick structure built over the relics of the Buddha. It was about half the size of the current stupa and was a symbol of the Buddha's parinirvana (final nirvana).In the 2nd century BCE, during the Shunga Dynasty, the Great Stupa was enlarged and more elaborate architectural elements were added. The stupa was en...