Stupa at Sanchi

The Stupa-I at Sanchi (Plate-III) is said to be built during the time of Ashoka in a form of a brick mound veneered with dressed stone. In the second century BCE the Stupa was enlarged in a form of a high circular medhi with a circumambulation passage at the ground level surrounded by railing pillars, that consists of a stambha connected with three suchis crowned by usnisha (coping stone) and a balustrade stairway on the south was build for the purpose of circumambulation around the anda portion. A huge hemispherical anda followed by harmika within a square railing crowned by three superimposed chatras. There were four entrances on the four sides, formed by Lshaped projections of the railing.

After a century in front of all the four entrance, beautifully and intricately carved torana (gateway) were installed. The torana is engraved with the images of horse and elephant riders, yakshas, tri-ratna and dharmachakra symbols. The Stupas build immediately before and after the Christian era in northern and central India are quite similar to Stupa-I of Sanchi. The balustrades and the torana were not the common feature of all the Stupas. Like in Stupa-II of second century BCE at Sanchi has four entrances formed of the L-shaped extensions of the quadrants of the balustrades without a torana, while the Stupa-III belonging to the first century CE consists of only one torana. The Stupa at Bharhut was embellished with stambha and suchi at the ground level and toranas on cardinal directions, but the torana are not as richly carved as that of Stupa-I of Sanchi.

The harmika constructed over the dome of the Stupa which bore on its crown the chatra, has been reconstructed since in spite of beaming best preserved Stupa its harmika had been disappeared due to wear and tear of the ages.