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Description: | Photograph of the back of the small gateway of the Stupa 3 at Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh, taken by Deen Dayal in 1882, from the Lee-Warner Collection: 'Scenes and Sculptures of Central India, Photographed by Lala Deen Dayal, Indore.' The site of Sanchi is an important Buddhist establishment. It became a pilgrimage place in the 3rd century BC when the emperor Ashoka Maurya (reigned c.269-232 BC)erected a stupa and a column there. The complex which forms Stupa 1 was later enlarged by different rulers. Stupa 3 was originally built in the 2nd century BC and later enlarged between the 1st century BC – 1st century AD. It is smaller in dimension than Stupa 1 but of great importance as reliquary caskets were found inside the dome inscribed with the names of two of the Buddha's foremost disciples, Shariputra and Maudgalayayana. There is only one torana from the 1st century AD. It consists of two square posts crowned by a group of yakshas and pot-bellied dwarfs that support a triple architrave. The architraves are carved with motifs related to the life of Buddha, floral designs and fertility figures. Buddha Shakyamuni is represented aniconically. His presence is represented by symbols such as the tree, the wheel and footprints. | License: | http://www.bl.uk/services/copy/permission.html | Rights holder: | British Library | Source: | Collect Britain | Creator: | Dayal, Deen | Identifier: | http://www.collectbritain.co.uk/personal... | Language: | en-GB | Go to resource |
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