CBSE Class 12 · Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings: Cultural Developments (c. 600 BCE-600 CE)

Stupas and Sanchi: Why They Were Built and How Sanchi Survived (Class 12)

Updated 15 October 2026 · Fact-checked

Stupas were mounds built over relics of the Buddha, venerated as emblems of the Buddha and Buddhism. Funded by kings, guilds, monks, nuns and ordinary donors, a stupa had an anda, harmika, yashti with chhatri, a railing and gateways. Sanchi survived because the Begums of Bhopal funded its preservation and originals stayed in place.

Notice the relics buried inside the dome (anda), with the harmika, yashti and chhatri above, and the railing and torana around.

Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.

Understand Stupas and Sanchi

Why this topic matters. CBSE regularly asks about the structure of the stupa, why and how stupas were built, the role of the rulers of Bhopal, and the contrasting fates of Sanchi and Amaravati. NCERT sections 1, 7 and 8 of Theme 4 with Source 8.

1. Sacred places before stupas. People long regarded certain places as sacred: special trees, unique rocks, places of natural beauty. Such sites with small shrines were sometimes called chaityas (the word may come from *chita*, a funeral pyre). Buddhist literature also marks places linked with the Buddha's life: Lumbini (birth), Bodh Gaya (enlightenment), Sarnath (first sermon) and Kusinagara (nibbana). About 200 years after the Buddha, Asoka erected a pillar at Lumbini to mark his visit.

2. Why stupas were built.

Stupas were mounds where relics of the Buddha (bodily remains or objects he used) were buried.
The tradition may have been pre-Buddhist, but stupas became associated with Buddhism; the whole stupa was venerated as an emblem of the Buddha and Buddhism.
The Ashokavadana says Asoka distributed portions of the relics to every important town and ordered stupas built over them.
*Source 8 (Mahaparinibbana Sutta)*: when Ananda asked what to do with his remains, the dying Buddha first told him not to be distracted by honouring them, but when pressed, said a thupa should be erected at the four crossroads, and that anyone who offered garlands or perfume or became calm of heart there would gain lasting profit and joy.
By the second century BCE, stupas had been built at Bharhut, Sanchi and Sarnath.

3. How stupas were built (who paid). Inscriptions on railings and pillars record donations:

Kings such as the Satavahanas;
Guilds, such as the ivory workers who financed part of a gateway at Sanchi;
Hundreds of women and men who recorded their names, sometimes their place, occupation and relatives;
Bhikkhus and bhikkhunis.

So stupas were a collective, widely supported enterprise.

4. The structure of the stupa. 'Stupa' is a Sanskrit word meaning a heap.

Part	Description
Anda	The original simple semi-circular mound of earth
Harmika	A balcony-like structure above the anda, representing the abode of the gods
Yashti	A mast rising from the harmika
Chhatri	An umbrella often placed on the yashti
Railing	Around the mound, separating sacred space from the secular world
Gateways (toranas)	Richly carved, at the four cardinal points

The early stupas at Sanchi and Bharhut were plain except for stone railings (like a bamboo or wooden fence) and the carved gateways. Worshippers entered by the eastern gateway and walked clockwise around the mound, keeping it on the right, imitating the sun's course. Later stupas, as at Amaravati and Shah-ji-ki-Dheri (Peshawar), had mounds carved with niches and sculptures.

5. Sanchi and the Begums of Bhopal.

Shahjehan Begum (ruled 1868-1901) described Sanchi, about 20 miles north-east of Bhopal, and Cunningham's investigations there (her history of Bhopal was translated in 1876).
The French sought her permission to take the eastern gateway, the best preserved, to a museum in France; some Englishmen wanted the same. Both were satisfied with plaster-cast copies, and the original stayed.
Shahjehan Begum and Sultan Jehan Begum funded preservation. Sultan Jehan funded the museum, the guesthouse where John Marshall lived and wrote, and the publication of his volumes; he dedicated them to her.
Sanchi also escaped railway contractors, builders and collectors. Today it shows successful restoration by the ASI.

6. Why Sanchi survived and Amaravati did not.

Amaravati: in 1796 a local raja building a temple used its stone and looked for treasure. Colin Mackenzie drew its sculptures but never published his reports. In 1854, Walter Elliot, commissioner of Guntur, took panels to Madras (the 'Elliot marbles') and judged it one of the largest, most magnificent stupas. Slabs went to Calcutta, Madras and London, and even decorated officials' gardens.
H.H. Cole protested that looting original art was suicidal and indefensible; he wanted plaster casts in museums and originals in situ. He failed at Amaravati but his plea was adopted at Sanchi.
Sanchi was 'discovered' in 1818 with three gateways standing and the fourth fallen nearby; despite proposals to take a gateway to Paris or London, it stayed intact. Amaravati may have been discovered before scholars understood the value of preserving finds in place; today its mahachaitya is a small, bare mound.

The big idea. Stupas show how Buddhism became a shared, public faith; Sanchi's survival shows how preservation choices shape what historians can study.

Key quotations

Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.

The stupa (a Sanskrit word meaning a heap)
NCERT, Theme 4, section 7.3: Opening the description of the stupa's structure.
The definition to begin a structure answer.
separating the sacred space from the secular world
NCERT, Theme 4, section 7.3: On the railing around the mound.
Explains the function of the railing.
a suicidal and indefensible policy
H.H. Cole, quoted in NCERT, section 8: On allowing the country to be looted of ancient art.
The argument for in situ preservation.
Worshippers entered through the eastern gateway
NCERT, Theme 4, section 7.3: Describing the clockwise circumambulation.
A ritual detail for structure and practice answers.

Stupas and Sanchi: key facts

Parts of a stupa: 1.Anda (mound)
2.harmika (abode of gods)
3.yashti (mast)
4.chhatri (umbrella); railing; four gateways; Stupa = heap (Sanskrit).
Why stupas: Relics of the Buddha buried → stupa venerated as emblem of the Buddha and Buddhism; Ashokavadana: Asoka distributed relics; Mahaparinibbana Sutta: thupa at four crossroads.
Who paid: Kings (Satavahanas)
Guilds (ivory workers)
Hundreds of women and men
Bhikkhus and bhikkhunis; Recorded in inscriptions on railings and pillars.
Four sacred places: Lumbini (birth), Bodh Gaya (enlightenment), Sarnath (first sermon), Kusinagara (nibbana); Asoka's pillar at Lumbini.
Sanchi's protectors: Shahjehan Begum (1868-1901) and Sultan Jehan Begum: funds, museum, guesthouse, Marshall's volumes; Eastern gateway kept; plaster casts went abroad.
Amaravati's fate: 1.1796 raja's stone-robbing
2.Mackenzie (unpublished)
3.1854 Elliot marbles to Madras
4.slabs dispersed; Sanchi 'discovered' 1818; Cole's in situ plea adopted there.

How to answer Stupas and Sanchi questions

Questions ask for the structure of the stupa (labelled list), why and how stupas were built, the role of the Begums of Bhopal (1-mark MCQs and 8-mark parts), and why Sanchi survived but Amaravati did not (3 marks).

1For structure, list parts from the ground up and give each one's meaning.
2For why, start with relics and veneration; add the Ashokavadana or Mahaparinibbana Sutta.
3For how, name the four kinds of donors and cite the inscriptions.
4For Sanchi versus Amaravati, contrast dates, people (raja, Mackenzie, Elliot, Cole, the Begums) and attitudes to in situ preservation.
5End by linking survival to what historians can now learn.

Stupas and Sanchi in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Collective funding of a monument

Suppose a town builds a public library. A plaque lists the state government, a traders' association, and hundreds of residents who gave small amounts, each with their name and locality.

How does this resemble the building of stupas, and what can a historian learn from such a plaque?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Donors are rulers, a guild and ordinary people, like the Satavahanas, ivory workers and individual donors at Sanchi.
Names, places and occupations show who supported the project.
Historians use stupa inscriptions the same way, to see the social reach of Buddhism.

Answer: Like the plaque, inscriptions on stupa railings show that kings, guilds, women, men, monks and nuns jointly built stupas, revealing Buddhism's wide social support.

Memory hook: Many names, one monument.

Preserving heritage in situ

Imagine a village temple's old carved door is offered to a city museum. The village elders agree to give a detailed replica instead and keep the original in place.

Which nineteenth-century decision about Sanchi does this resemble, and why does it matter?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Foreigners wanted Sanchi's eastern gateway for museums abroad.
Plaster-cast copies were sent instead and the original stayed.
Objects kept in their setting can be studied in context.

Answer: It mirrors the decision to send plaster casts of Sanchi's eastern gateway abroad while keeping the original; in situ preservation keeps the monument whole and its context intact.

Memory hook: Send the copy, keep the original.

Tricks to remember Stupas and Sanchi

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

A-H-Y-C bottom to top
'All Holy Yogis Climb': Anda, Harmika, Yashti, Chhatri.
Use it when: Order of the stupa's parts.
L-B-S-K: four places
Lumbini born, Bodh Gaya enlightened, Sarnath spoke, Kusinagara passed: 'Little Babies Sing Kindly'.
Use it when: Sacred places of the Buddha's life.
Two Begums, one stupa
Shahjehan Begum kept the gateway home; Sultan Jehan paid for museum, guesthouse and Marshall's books.
Use it when: Role of the rulers of Bhopal.

Stupas and Sanchi: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: The harmika · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

In a stupa, the balcony-like structure above the anda that represented the abode of the gods is called the
(a) yashti
(b) chhatri
(c) harmika
(d) torana

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

The harmika sits above the anda and represents the abode of the gods (1 mark).

Answer: (c) harmika

Example 2: How stupas were built · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

Explain how stupas were built, with reference to the people who paid for them. (3 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Inscriptions on railings and pillars record donations (1 mark).
Donors included kings such as the Satavahanas and guilds such as the ivory workers at Sanchi (1 mark).
Hundreds of men and women, with names, places, occupations and relatives, and bhikkhus and bhikkhunis also gave (1 mark).

Answer: Stupas were built with donations recorded in inscriptions on their railings and pillars. Kings such as the Satavahanas made gifts, and guilds did too: the ivory workers financed part of one of Sanchi's gateways. Hundreds of ordinary women and men recorded their names, often with their home town, occupation and relatives, and monks and nuns also contributed. Building a stupa was thus a collective act of devotion supported by many social groups.

Example 3: Assertion and reason on circumambulation · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level

Assertion (A): Worshippers walked clockwise around the stupa, keeping the mound on their right.
Reason (R): The movement imitated the sun's course through the sky.
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false but R is true.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

NCERT states both facts and links them (1 mark).

Answer: (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.

Example 4: Sanchi versus Amaravati · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

Why did the stupa at Sanchi survive while the one at Amaravati was ruined? (3 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Amaravati: a local raja used its stone (1796); Elliot took panels to Madras (1854); slabs dispersed to Calcutta, Madras, London and gardens (1 mark).
Amaravati was found before scholars valued in situ preservation; Cole's plea failed there (1 mark).
Sanchi: found largely intact (1818); Begums of Bhopal funded preservation; plaster casts sent abroad; Cole's plea adopted (1 mark).

Answer: Amaravati was found in 1796 by a local raja who used its stone and hunted for treasure. Later, Walter Elliot (1854) carried panels to Madras, and slabs were scattered to Calcutta, Madras, London and even officials' gardens. It was probably discovered before scholars understood the need to keep finds in place, and H.H. Cole's plea for in situ preservation failed there. Sanchi, 'discovered' in 1818, was largely intact; its rulers, Shahjehan Begum and Sultan Jehan Begum, funded its preservation, foreigners accepted plaster casts of the eastern gateway, and Cole's policy was adopted. So Sanchi survived while Amaravati became a small bare mound.

Example 5: Source-based: the Buddha on his remains · 4 marks · Source-basedHarder board level

Read the source (summarised for this page from the Mahaparinibbana Sutta as given in NCERT) and answer.

As the Buddha lay dying, Ananda asked what should be done with his remains. The Buddha first told him not to trouble himself with honouring them but to strive for his own good. When pressed, he said a thupa should be raised at the four crossroads, and that those who offered garlands or perfume there, or became calm of heart, would long have profit and joy.

(i) Of which collection is this text a part? (1)
(ii) What was the Buddha's first response, and what does it show about his teaching? (1)
(iii) How does the source help explain the spread of stupas? (2)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

(i) The Sutta Pitaka (1 mark).
(ii) Not to be distracted by honouring his remains but to strive for one's own good: individual effort (1 mark).
(iii) It sanctioned stupas at public places and promised merit to worshippers; with Asoka's distribution of relics (Ashokavadana), stupas spread to important towns (2 marks).

Answer: (i) The Sutta Pitaka. (ii) He told Ananda not to be hindered by honouring his remains but to work for his own good, showing his stress on individual effort rather than ritual. (iii) Once pressed, he approved stupas at crossroads, where many could see and visit them, and promised lasting joy to those who worshipped there. This gave a basis for venerating relics; according to the Ashokavadana, Asoka distributed relics to important towns and ordered stupas built, and by the second century BCE stupas stood at Bharhut, Sanchi and Sarnath.

Example 6: Long answer: Sanchi's features and its protectors · 8 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

Describe the structure of the Great Stupa at Sanchi, and explain how the decisions of the Begums of Bhopal helped it survive. (8 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Introduction: Sanchi near Bhopal; one of the most important Buddhist centres (1 mark).
Why stupas: relics; emblem of the Buddha (1 mark).
Anda and harmika (1 mark).
Yashti, chhatri, railing separating sacred and secular (1 mark).
Gateways at four cardinal points; entry from the east; clockwise movement; donors (1 mark).
Begums: Shahjehan Begum refused to let the eastern gateway go; plaster casts (1 mark).
Sultan Jehan Begum funded museum, guesthouse, Marshall's volumes (1 mark).
Conclusion: survival transformed understanding of early Buddhism; contrast with Amaravati (1 mark).

Answer: Sanchi, near Bhopal, is one of the most important Buddhist centres, and its discovery has greatly changed our understanding of early Buddhism.

Features: A stupa, a Sanskrit word meaning 'heap', was built over relics of the Buddha and venerated as an emblem of the Buddha and Buddhism. At its core is the anda, the semi-circular mound. Above it is the harmika, a balcony-like structure representing the abode of the gods, from which rises the yashti, a mast often topped by a chhatri or umbrella. A railing around the mound, resembling a bamboo or wooden fence, separates sacred space from the secular world. The early stupa at Sanchi was plain except for this railing and four richly carved gateways at the cardinal points. Worshippers entered by the eastern gateway and walked clockwise, imitating the sun's course. Inscriptions record donations from kings, guilds such as the ivory workers, monks, nuns and hundreds of ordinary people.

Role of the rulers of Bhopal: In the nineteenth century the French asked Shahjehan Begum for the eastern gateway, the best preserved, for a museum in France, and some Englishmen wanted the same; in the end plaster-cast copies were accepted and the original stayed in Bhopal state. Shahjehan Begum and her successor Sultan Jehan Begum gave money to preserve the site. Sultan Jehan funded the museum, the guesthouse where John Marshall lived and wrote, and the publication of his volumes, which he dedicated to her.

Thanks to these decisions, and luck in escaping builders and collectors, Sanchi survived intact, while Amaravati, plundered from 1796 onwards, was reduced to a small mound.

Where students lose marks in Stupas and Sanchi

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

Mistake: Wrong order or meaning of the parts
Unfamiliar terms.
Wrong working
The yashti is the mound and the anda is the umbrella.
Right working
Anda = mound; harmika = balcony; yashti = mast; chhatri = umbrella.
Do this: All Holy Yogis Climb.
Usually costs: 1-2 marks.
Mistake: Confusing the two Begums
Similar names.
Wrong working
Shahjehan Begum funded Marshall's guesthouse and volumes.
Right working
Sultan Jehan Begum funded the museum, guesthouse and Marshall's volumes; Shahjehan Begum dealt with the request for the gateway.
Do this: Sultan = Marshall's sponsor.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Omitting donors other than kings
Monuments seem royal.
Wrong working
Stupas were built by Asoka.
Right working
Kings, guilds, ordinary women and men, monks and nuns donated.
Do this: Four kinds of donors.
Usually costs: 1-2 marks.
Mistake: Mixing up Amaravati and Sanchi dates
Several nineteenth-century dates.
Wrong working
Sanchi was found in 1796 and Amaravati in 1818.
Right working
Amaravati: 1796 (raja), 1854 (Elliot). Sanchi: 1818.
Do this: Amaravati first, and suffered for it.
Usually costs: 1 mark.

Exam tips

Asked in: 2024 board paper 61/3/1 Q28(a) (8 marks, features of Sanchi and the role of Bhopal's rulers); 2025 board paper 61/4/1 Q23 (3 marks, what Sanchi reflects); 2026 board paper 61/1/1 Q23(a) (3 marks, ruin of Amaravati); 1-mark items on the Begums in 2024 (61/5/1), 2025 (61/2/1) and 2026 (61/3/1, 61/5/1); a 2025 assertion-reason on Shahjehan Begum (61/7/1). Our answers are our own.
A neat labelled sketch of the stupa (anda, harmika, yashti, chhatri, railing, gateway) earns quick marks if drawing is allowed.
Split 8-mark answers as the question does: features (about 5) and role of rulers (about 3).
Sanchi, Amaravati, Bharhut, Bodh Gaya, Lumbini, Nagarjunakonda and Ajanta are on the 2026-27 map list.

Practice questions on Stupas and Sanchi

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
Which ruler of Bhopal funded the museum at Sanchi and the publication of John Marshall's volumes?
(a) Shahjehan Begum
(b) Sultan Jehan Begum
(c) Sikandar Begum
(d) Jahanara Begum
Hint
Marshall dedicated his volumes to her.
Answer
(b) Sultan Jehan Begum.
Q2 · 2 marks · Very short answerBoard level
Name the four places associated with the main events of the Buddha's life. (2 marks)
Hint
Birth, enlightenment, first sermon, nibbana.
Answer
Lumbini (birth), Bodh Gaya (enlightenment), Sarnath (first sermon) and Kusinagara (nibbana).
Q3 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Why were stupas considered sacred? (3 marks)
Hint
Relics, emblem, Asoka.
Answer
Stupas contained relics of the Buddha, such as his bodily remains or objects he used, buried in a mound. Because the relics were sacred, people revered the entire monument as a symbol of the Buddha and of Buddhism itself. The tradition may have been pre-Buddhist, but it became linked with Buddhism; the Ashokavadana says Asoka distributed relics to important towns and ordered stupas built over them.
Q4 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Trace the events, from 1796 onwards, that reduced the great stupa at Amaravati to a bare mound. (3 marks)
Hint
Raja, officials, timing.
Answer
In 1796 a local raja building a temple took its stone and searched for treasure. British officials then removed sculptures: Walter Elliot took panels to Madras in 1854 (the Elliot marbles), and slabs went to Calcutta, Madras and London, even decorating officials' gardens, each new official following earlier ones. It was discovered before scholars appreciated in situ preservation, and H.H. Cole's protest did not save it.
Q5 · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level
Assertion (A): The early stupas at Sanchi and Bharhut were richly carved all over the mound.
Reason (R): Later stupas such as Amaravati had mounds carved with niches and sculptures.
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false but R is true.
Hint
Early stupas were plain except for railings and gateways.
Answer
(d) A is false but R is true.
Q6 · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
Suppose the eastern gateway of Sanchi had been taken to Paris in the nineteenth century. What would historians have lost? (3 marks)
Hint
Context, ritual route, whole monument.
Answer
They would have lost the gateway's context: its place at the entrance used by worshippers before clockwise circumambulation, its relation to the railing and mound, and the chance to study the complex as a whole. Separated sculptures, like the dispersed Amaravati slabs, are harder to interpret. Keeping it in situ, as Cole urged, preserved Sanchi as a complete monument that transformed our understanding of early Buddhism.
Q7 · 4 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
"Stupa inscriptions tell us as much about society as about religion." Discuss. (4 marks)
Hint
Who gave, and what they recorded.
Answer
The inscriptions record donations by kings like the Satavahanas, guilds like the ivory workers, monks, nuns and hundreds of ordinary men and women, who often gave their names, home towns, occupations and relatives. Religiously, they show widespread devotion to the Buddha and the merit gained by giving. Socially, they reveal that women donated in their own names, that guilds had wealth and collective identity, and that people of many places and occupations supported Buddhism. So they are valuable sources of social history as well as of religion.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1.What does 'stupa' mean?Show answer
A heap (Sanskrit).
2.What did the harmika represent?Show answer
The abode of the gods.
3.Which guild funded part of a Sanchi gateway?Show answer
The ivory workers.
4.Through which gateway did worshippers enter?Show answer
The eastern gateway.
5.When was Sanchi 'discovered'?Show answer
1818.
6.What are the Elliot marbles?Show answer
Amaravati sculpture panels taken to Madras by Walter Elliot in 1854.

Stupas and Sanchi: frequently asked questions

Why were stupas built?

To enshrine relics of the Buddha, such as bodily remains or objects he used. The stupa itself became an emblem of the Buddha and Buddhism.

What are the main parts of a stupa?

The anda (mound), harmika (balcony representing the abode of gods), yashti (mast) with a chhatri (umbrella), a railing around it and carved gateways.

What was the role of the Begums of Bhopal at Sanchi?

Shahjehan Begum and Sultan Jehan Begum funded its preservation; the original eastern gateway stayed while copies went abroad; Sultan Jehan funded the museum, guesthouse and Marshall's volumes.

Why did Amaravati not survive like Sanchi?

It was plundered from 1796 and its sculptures were removed before scholars valued in situ preservation, while Sanchi was protected by its rulers and by Cole's policy.