Big Stupa in Sanchi
In the III century BC. In the Indian village of Sanchi, on the orders of the ruler Ashoka Maurya, the Great Stupa temple was built. There is a legend that it was built according to the design of the great Buddha himself. The temple is a symbol of the Wheel of the Law (dharma), meaning a vicious circle of births and deaths (samsara). The Great Stupa served as a model for the construction of all subsequent Buddhist temples.
Initially, stupas were erected over the graves of rulers as a monument. Stupa is translated as "crown of the head" or "heap of earth and stones". The dead were cremated, and the remains and ashes were placed in mortars. Graves in the usual European sense did not exist then.
Buddhist temple is a set of fundamental symbols. The foundation (base) symbolizes the earth, the spherical arch is identified with the ascent of man to heaven and the world of the gods, the main pillar of the stupa, located in the center, is the axis of the world. The large stupa at Sanchi does not have indoors, it houses the remains of the great Buddha and several of his things. Of great historical importance are the gates - torans. There are 4 of them in total. Each depicts symbols that mean some event from the life of the Buddha or related to it. At that time, real scenes were not depicted, but only certain specific symbols were applied. For example, the lotus - the birth, the wheel - the teachings of the Buddha.
True Buddhists are sure that stupas have the magical power of good, they are able to help people and those who come to them, bringing harmony into their lives. One of the Buddhist practices is a ritual walk around the stupa in the direction of the sun. There may be several such rounds within a few hours or several days. Everything depends on the desire and strength of the believer. Lamas pass at least 108 times around the stupa. Stupas are a place of pilgrimage for Buddhists to perform both detours and other rituals.
In the 2nd century BC. The Great Stupa was almost completely destroyed. The temple was restored for a long time, and as a result, it became larger than it was before the destruction. The old brick stupa turned out to be inserted inside a new stone one. Now the height is 17 m, and the diameter of the base exceeds 36 m. Years passed, the temple gradually changed and new elements were added nearby. Instead of an almost destroyed wooden fence, two large columns and four stone gates appeared.
The Great Stupa in Sanchi was a place of pilgrimage for Buddhists. But in XII Muslims and Islam won. Buddhist temples fell into disrepair, and some of them were destroyed. The village of Sanchi was practically empty, it was covered with sand, overgrown with shrubs. The temple, and with it the village, found its revival in 1819. The English general Taylor accidentally discovered a Buddhist shrine. A century later, a whole historical complex was opened in Sanchi, including cave temples and a museum.
In 1989, the sights of Sanchi were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
