Sanchi Stupa Gate

Illustration

Ibolya Horváth
by Andrea Kirkby
published on 03 September 2020
Sanchi Stupa Gate Download Full Size Image

The oldest stupa in India, and possibly in the world, construction of the Great Stupa at Sanchi was decreed and overseen by Ashoka the Great (268-232 BCE). It stands 54 feet (17 meters) high and 120 feet (37 meters) wide with a spire (yashti) at the top of the dome (known as the anda) surrounded by a railing (harmika). The stupa is enclosed by a wall with four gates (toranas) corresponding to the cardinal points and four central events in the Buddha’s life (birth, enlightenment, first sermon, death/nirvana).

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APA Style

Kirkby, A. (2020, September 03). Sanchi Stupa Gate. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/12651/sanchi-stupa-gate/

Chicago Style

Kirkby, Andrea. "Sanchi Stupa Gate." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified September 03, 2020. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/12651/sanchi-stupa-gate/.

MLA Style

Kirkby, Andrea. "Sanchi Stupa Gate." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 03 Sep 2020. Web. 10 Oct 2024.

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