By road
Sanchi is ~46-55 km northeast of Bhopal
Central India · Madhya Pradesh
Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh
Lakes, begums and Buddhist stupas · Sanchi is ~46-55 km northeast of Bhopal
Getting there
By rail
Bhopal Junction (BPL), in the city; Sanchi also has a small station of its own
By air
Raja Bhoj Airport, Bhopal, in the city
Best time to visit
October to March — lake breezes and clear stupa skies
Don't miss
Sanchi Stupa (UNESCO)
Taj-ul-Masajid
Upper Lake
Tribal Museum
Bhimbetka
Things to do
Old-city walks
Lake boating
Tribal museum
Sanchi day trip
Where to eat
What to pack
Walking shoes, modest wear for shrines, museum time budgeted
A quieter corner
Bhimbetka's prehistoric rock shelters an hour south
Before you go
Ashoka's stupa complex and a UNESCO site; the best-preserved early Buddhist monuments in India. ~45 km from Bhopal.
About Sanchi
- Hills
Where it is
Sanchi is a small town in Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh, about 45 km north-east of Bhopal, where its stupas crown a low hill above the plains near Vidisha.
History
The emperor Ashoka founded the Great Stupa in the 3rd century BCE; it was enlarged in stone under the Shungas, and its four carved gateways were added around the 1st century BCE. Sanchi remained a Buddhist centre for well over a thousand years, was rediscovered by a British officer in 1818, restored in the early 20th century, and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1989.
People
Sanchi is a quiet Hindi-speaking town of farmers and shopkeepers, and monks and pilgrims from Sri Lanka and elsewhere in Asia visit its stupas. Relics revered as those of the Buddha's disciples Sariputta and Moggallana are enshrined in the modern Chetiyagiri Vihara, where an annual festival draws pilgrims.
Known for
- The Great Stupa and its carved toranas
- Ashoka's pillar
- Stupas 2 and 3
- The Sanchi Archaeological Museum
- Udayagiri Caves near Vidisha
Did you know?
Inscriptions on the Great Stupa's gateways record that ivory carvers from nearby Vidisha worked on some of its reliefs.
Shrines and sites
- Great Stupa
- Stupas 2 and 3
- Sanchi Archaeological Museum
- Udayagiri Caves
Traditions
- Buddhist
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.