| Volume - V |
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| Culture Course |
SANCHI |
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| Once, while he
was young, Asoka had to go to Ujjain.On the way he halted at Vidisa. In that city he saw a
beautiful girl.Her name was Devi. She was the daughter of a mer- chant. He liked her very
much. So he married her, and took her to his capital. To Asoka and Devi were born a son
and daughter. After Asoka became a Buddhist monk, he spread Buddha's teachings all over this country, and also in other countries. Asoka's son too became a monk, and he also propagated the Buddha's teachings. Afterwards, Devi came back to Vidisa. She built a monastery at Sanchi near Vidisa. She built a vihara for herself, and spent much of her time there in meditation. Asoka once returned to Sanchi, and wanted to make it a great centre of Buddhist religion. When Devi died, Asoka built this stupa first in a small way. I-Liter on other Buddhists built a larger one around it. A stupa has a circular base as well as a circular top. It is built of brick or stone. On the top is a square box-like structure. It is called harmika. Above the harmika are planted three umbrellas, each smaller than the one below. The umbrella is a sign that there is a royal person laid to rest underneath. All round the stupa there is a circular path for going round in a pradakshina. This path is fenced by railings. There are four gateways leading to the 'eat stupa at Sanchi. Beautiful sculptures are carved on the gates. Thousands of people visit Sanchi to see the beauty of this stupa. It is a place sacred to most Indians. |
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| About Sanchi | ||||||
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