From Ashokan times to now, Sanchi to Europe, story of a great Stupa

• External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday stopped by the replica of the East Gate of Sanchi’s Great Stupa standing in front of Humboldt Forum museum in Berlin.

Highlights:

• On Wednesday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited the replica of the East Gate of Sanchi’s Great Stupa, which stands in front of the Humboldt Forum museum in Berlin.
• This gateway, unveiled in December 2022, is a full-scale reproduction of the original, measuring 10 meters high and 6 meters wide, and weighing approximately 150 tonnes.

The Great Stupa of Sanchi:

• A stupa is a Buddhist monument that commemorates the Buddha or venerable saints, often containing sacred relics. Its hemispherical form traces back to pre-Buddhist burial mounds in India.
• The Great Stupa of Sanchi, built in the third century BCE by Emperor Ashoka, is the largest and oldest among a collection of Buddhist structures in Sanchi, some dating as late as the twelfth century CE.
• Sanchi's unique status lies in its well-preserved stupas and offers a rich field for the study of Buddhist art and architecture.
• The Great Stupa, one of the oldest stone structures in India, is believed to have been constructed over the Buddha’s relics. Ashoka’s wife, Devi, from nearby Vidisha, supervised its construction, with support from Vidisha’s mercantile community.

Gateways of the Great Stupa:

• The stupa itself is a simple hemispherical structure with a parasol on top, but its standout features are the four ornamental gateways (toranas), each facing one of the cardinal directions.
• Built in the first century BCE under the Satavahana dynasty, these toranas consist of two square pillars supporting three curved beams (architraves).
• The relief sculptures on the pillars and architraves depict stories from the Buddha’s life, Jataka tales, and other Buddhist symbols.
• These decorative elements reflect the artistic richness of the time, with motifs ranging from floral patterns to amorous scenes, though the Buddha is never shown in human form.

The East Gate and Its Replica:

• Among the Sanchi gateways, the East Gate is the most famous in Europe, due to its historical connections. Sanchi was in ruins when British officer Henry Taylor discovered it in 1818. Later, Alexander Cunningham, the founder of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), began formal excavations in 1851.
• The site's major restoration was carried out by ASI’s John Marshall in the 1910s, funded by the Begums of Bhopal.
• Plaster casts of the gates were made for display in Europe. The East Gate was first cast in the late 1860s for the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
• The replica in Berlin traces its origin to these plaster casts, which were copied and displayed across Europe. The Humboldt Forum’s modern replica was created with 3D scanning and involved the collaboration of German and Indian sculptors.

Symbolism of the East Gate:

• The upper architrave of the East Gate depicts the seven Manushi Buddhas (previous Buddhas before the historical Buddha).
• The middle architrave portrays the Great Departure, when Prince Siddhartha renounced his royal life to seek enlightenment. The lower architrave shows Emperor Ashoka visiting the Bodhi tree, under which the Buddha attained enlightenment.
• The gateway also includes decorative elements like the shalabhanjika (a yakshi grasping a tree, symbolizing fertility), as well as elephants, winged lions, and peacocks. These elements contribute to the rich artistic legacy of Sanchi’s Great Stupa.

Prelims Takeaways

• Emperor Ashoka