A Story of the UNESCO World Heritage Site: The Great Stupa of Sanchi

Sanchi, a town in Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh, India is famous for being home to one of the oldest Buddhist monuments in the country. This site has been declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1989. The life history of Gautam Buddha and the dynastic rulers of the Maurya to Satavahana did bring an unimaginable difference in building up the site at Sanchi. The story of the distribution of the relics after Buddha's Mahaparinirvana and the ideology of Dhamma amazed the Great Mauryan ruler Ashoka. A part of relics of the Buddha are said to be buried in the Great stupa commissioned by emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE. This paper will take you to the very beginning of Ashoka's interest towards Buddhism and the making of the Stupa at Sanchi; it will also focus on how it evolved through the ages becoming a symbol of peace which is a widely visited place in the country today.