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[i would have been grateful if Yaswant has marked a copy to AncientIndia also - Kishore patnaik]

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[ind-Arch] Re: sanchiIndiaArchaeology

 

 

 

 

 

There is on other place in India other than Sanchi/Vidisha where you can walk among structures that old, and this well preserved, including the oldest standing Vaishnava monumnet in India (Heliodorus column).

A famous book on  Sanchi is  The Bhilsa Topes By Alexander Cunningham (1854) which is now available on-line (http://books.google.com/books?id=MHIIAAAAQAAJ) . The hard copies are extremely hard to locate.

What happened to the Buddhists of Vidisha who built numerous stupas in Vidisha region?

I am not sure when Sanchi was abandoned, but one of its temples containing a massive Buddha image appears to be from 10-11th century.  A copperplate of Chandella Madanavarman (c. AD 1128-1165)  mentions a functioning Buddhist vihara in Bundelkhand region.

Some of the building in Sanchi was sponsored by local merchants. One of Ashoka's wife (Mahinda's mother) was born a merchant family in Vidisha.

There is a Jain merhant community in the region, that is sometimes thought to represent the ancient mercahnt community of the region. The merchants are called Gahapati in Sanchi inscriptions. There is a local Gahoi community (Maithilisharan Gupta belonged to this community)  in the region that is thought to be associated with the Jain commuity.

Yashwant

 

IndiaArchaeology , kishore patnaik <kishorepatnaik09 wrote:>> An Historical and Artistic Description of Sanchi (1918)

> ------------------------------> > The history of Sanchi starts during the reign of Asoka in the third> century B.C., and covers a period of some fourteen centuries, thus> synchronising almost with the rise and fall of Buddhism in India. The

> political story of Eastern Malwa during these fourteen centuries is known to> us only in the barest outline, and is beset with many uncertainties. Such as> it is, however, it enables us to follow the chief dynastic changes and the

> chief religious movements which affected this part of India, and which are> necessarily reflected in the changing character of the monuments.> > To make this history and its bearing upon the architecture and

> sculptures of Sanchi more easily intelligible, I shall divide it into three> periods, the first extending from the reign of Asoka to the overthrow of the> Kshatrapa power, about 400 A.D., by Chandragupta II; the second from the

> advent of the Imperial Guptas to the death of the Emperor Harsha in 647> A.D.; and the third embracing the later mediaeval period down to the close> of the twelfth century.> *> > Early period.

> *> > The ancient name of Sanchi* *was Kakanada but the name is known only> from inscriptions and does not occur in any ancient author. It seems> probable, however, that Sanchi is referred to under the name of Chetiyagiri

> in the �Mahavamsa��the Buddhist chronicle of Ceylon�where it is recorded > that Asoka, when he was heir-apparent and was journeying as Viceroy to> Ujjayini (Ujjain), halted at Vidisa, and married the daughter of a local> banker, one Devi Mahendra, and a daughter Sanghamitra. It is further

> narrated that, after Asoka's accession, Mahendra headed the Buddhist> mission, sent probably under the auspices of the Emperor, to Ceylon, and> that before setting out to the island he visited his mother at �Chetiyagiri

> � near Vidisa, and was lodged there in sumptuous *vihara* or monastery, > which she herself had erected. Now, assuming that the story of Mahendra as> told in the Sinhalese chronicleis correct, it would be reasonable to> identify this �Chetiyagiri� with the hill of Sanchi; for it was at Sanchi

 

> that Asoka set up one of his edict pillars as well as other monuments; and> it is at Sanchi alone in this neighbourhood that any remains of the Maurya> age have been found. Unfortunately, however, there is another version of the

> legend, which makes Mahendra the brother, not the son, of Asoka, and which> fails to connect him in any way with Vidisa. It would manifestly be unsafe,> therefore, to deduce from the Mahavamsa version any conclusions as to the

> age or origin of the monuments of Sanchi. Be the story true or not, there is> good evidence, as we shall presently see, to show that the Buddhists> established themselves at Sanchi for the first time during* *the lifetime of

> Asoka, and it is clear also from the memorials which the Emperor erected> there, that the sangha at Sanchi was an object of special interest and care> to him.> > Asoka had probably become a convert to Buddhism early in life, and

> during the last thirty years of his reign (B.C. 273-232) he seems to have> employed his almost unlimited powers in propagating his religious ideas> throughout the length and breadth of his dominions (which comprised

> practically the whole of India except the Madras Presidency), and in sending> missionaries of the faith to foreign lands as far remote as Egypt and> Albania. In fact, it is upon his zealous patronage of Buddhism that the fame

> of this Great Emperor mainly rests; and it is not surprising, therefore,> that most of the monuments of his reign which have come down to us relate to> that religion. Among these monuments are some of the most perfect and highly

> developed specimens of sculpture in India, but the particular specimens> referred to, including the edict-bearing pillar at Sanchi, are Perso-Greek> in style, not Indian, and there is every reason to believe that they were

> the handiwork of foreign, probably Bactrian, artists. In the time of Asoka> indigenous art was still in the rudimentary state, when the sculptor could> not grasp more than one aspect of his subject at a time, when the law of

> �frontality � was still binding upon him, and when the �memory picture� had > not yet given place to direct observation of nature.> > On the death of Asoka in 232 B.C. the Empire of the Mauryas rapidly> fell to pieces: the central power declined, the outlying provinces asserted

> their in dependence, and about the year 185 B.C. the throne of Magadha> passed to the Sungas. Of this dynasty our knowledge is meagre in the> extreme. Its founder was Pushyamitra, who had murdered Brihadratha, the last

> of the Mauryas, and it appears from Kalidasa's drama the �Malavikagnimitra� > that during Pushyamitra's reign his son, Agnimitra, was ruling as Viceroy> over the Western dominions, with Vidisa as his Capital. Pushyamitra himself> is reputed by later writers to have persecuted the Buddhist church, but his

> successors must have been more tolerant; for an epigraph on the gate way of> the Buddhist stupa at Bharhut records its erection �during the supremacy of> the Sungas,� and it is to the period of their supremacy, also, that several > of the most important monuments at Sanchi probably belong, namely: the> Second and Third Stupas with their balustrades (but not the gateway of the> latter), the ground balustrade and stone casing of the Great Stupas, which

> had originally been of brick and of much smaller dimensions, and pillar No.> 25. The sculpture of these and other monuments of the Sunga period is full> of promise, but still in much the same primitive and undeveloped stage in

> which the sculpture of Greece was at the beginning of the 6th century B.C.> The influence of �frontality� and of the �memory image� continues to obtrude

 

> itself; the relief-work is lacking in depth; the attitudes of the individual> figures are as a rule stiff and awkward, and are portrayed as sharply> defined silhouettes against a neutral background; and there is rarely any

> effort made at bringing them into close mutual relationship one with> another. On the other hand, a great advance is effected during this period> in the modelling of the contours and interior details, and in many other

> respects, also, art begins to profit from the direct observation of nature.> Here and there the reliefs of the Sunga period at Sanchi, as well as at> Bharhut and Bodh-Gaya, reveal the influence which foreign, and especially

> Hellenistic ideas, were exerting on India through the medium of the> contemporary Greek colonies in the Panjab; but the art of these reliefs is> essentially indigenous in character and, though stimulated and inspired by

> extraneous teaching, is in no sense mimetic. Its national and independent> character is attested not merely by its methodical evolution on Indian soil,> but by the wonderful sense of decorative beauty which pervaded it and which

> from first to last has been the heritage of Indian art.> > The power of the Sungas endured for a little over a century, i.e.,> until about the year 70 B.C., but whether they were supplanted by the Kanvas

> or the Andhras, is open to question. The Andhras had long been dominant in> the west and south of India, and it is known that they had extended their> sway over Eastern Malwa at least two or three decades before the beginning

> of the Christian era. It was under their dynasty that the early school of> Indian art achieved its zenith, and that the most splendid of the Sanchi> structures were erected, viz., the four gateways of the Great Stupa, and the

> single gateway of the Third Stupa, all five of which must have been set up> within a few decades of one another. On the Southern Gateway of the Great> Stupa (the earliest of the five) is a donative inscription recording the

> gift of one of its architraves by a certain Anamda, foreman of the artisans> of the Andhra king Sri Satakarni. Unfortunately for the identification of> this king, the title of Satakarni was borne by many members of the dynasty,

> and it is not practicable to determine which particular one is here> designated. Hitherto he has generally been identified with the Sri Satakarni> who was reigning in the middle of the second century B.C. and who is

> mentioned in the Nanaghat and Hathigumpha inscriptions; but this view> conflicts not only with what is now known of the history of Eastern Malwa> (which in the second century B.C. was ruled by the Sungas and not by the

> Andhras), but with the history also of early Indian plastic art, which has> recently been established on a much firmer basis. It may now be regarded as> practically certain that the king referred to is one of the Satakarnis who

> appear later in the Pauranic lists, and we shall not be far wrong if we> assign his reign to the middle or latter half of the first century B.C. Of> the monumental art of this period the gateways of Sanchi are by far the most

> important survivals. Between the times when the ground balustrade of Stupa 2> and the earliest of these gateways were erected, it is probable that not> more than a few decades intervened, yet the advance made in relief work

> during this short period is most striking. In the decoration of the gateways> there is little of the clumsy immature workmanship that characterises the> balustrade in question. Though they exhibit considerable variety in their

> composition and technical treatment, their style generally is maintained at> a relatively high level. They are manifestly the work of experienced> artists, who had freed themselves almost entirely from the � memory pictures

> � of primitive art, and had learnt how to portray the figures in free and > easy postures, how to compose them in natural and convincing group, how to> give depth and a sense of perspective to the picture, and how to express> their meaning both dramatically and sincerely. That Hellenistic and Western

> Asiatic art affected the early Indian school during the Andhra even more> intimately than it had done during the Sunga period, is clear from the many> extraneous motifs in these reliefs, e.g., from the familiar; bell capital of

> Persia, from the floral designs of Assyria, or from the winged monsters of> Western Asia; and it is clear also from the individuality of many of the> figures, *e.g.*, of the hill-men riders on the Easter Gate, from the

> symmetrical character of some of the compositions, and from the> �colouristic� treatment with its alternation of light and dark, which was

 

> peculiarly characteristic of Graeco-Syrian art at this period. But though> Western Art evidently played prominent part in the evolution of the early> India school, we must be careful not to exaggerate its importance. The

> artists of early India were quick with the versatility of all true artists> to profit by the lessons which others had to teach them; but there is no> more reason in calling their creations Persian or Greek, than there would be

> in designating the modern fabric of St. Paul's Italian. The art which they> practised was essentially a national art, having its root in the heart and> in the faith of tie people, and giving eloquent expression to their

> spiritual beliefs and to their deep and intuitive sympathy with nature. Free> alike from artificiality and idealism, its purpose was to glorify religion,> not by seeking to embody spiritual ideas in terms of form, as the mediaeval

> art of India did, but by telling the story of Buddhism or Jainism in the> simplest and most expressive language which of the chisel of the sculptor> could command; and it was just because of its simplicity and transparent

> sincerity that it voiced so truthfully the soul of the people, and still> continues to make an instant appeal to our feelings.> > The rule of the Andhras in Eastern Malwa was interrupted for a few

> decades by that of the Kshaharatas, probably towards the end of the first> century, but it was re-established about 125 A.D. by Gautamiputra Sri> Satakarni, and survived until about 150 A.D., when it was finally overthrown

> by the Great Satrap Rudradaman, after which Sanchii and Vidisa remained in> possession of the Western Kshatrapas until the close of the fourth century,> when both Malwa and Surashtra were annexed to the Gupta Empire.

> > The Kshatrapas of Western India, including the family of the> Kshaharatas as well as the later Satraps, were of foreign origin and, as> their name implies, were in the position of feudatories to a supreme power,

> that power being, first the Scytho-Parthian, and later the Kushan empire of> the North. In Eastern Malwa itself these Satraps do not appear on the scene> until after the establishment of the Kushan Empire, and the only remains at

> Sanchi in which any connexion with the suzerain power of the north can be> traced are a few sculptures, in the Kushan style from Mathura, one of which> bears an inscription of the year 28 and of the reign of the King Shahi

> Vasishka. There are various other monuments, however, of local workmanship,> which belong to the epoch of the Satraps and which indicate that Buddhism> was as flourishing at Sanchi under the Satraps as it was elsewhere under

> their overlords the Kushans, though the art in which it found expression was> then at a relatively low ebb.> > *The Gupta or early mediaeval period.*> > * * Although the rapid expansion of Gupta power under Samudragupta had

> brought the Western Kshatrapas into contact with it as early as the middle> of the fourth century, it was not until the close of that century that the> actual annexation of Eastern and Western Malwa was achieved by Chandragupta

> II. An echo of this Emperor's conquest occurs in an inscription carved on> the balustrade of the Great Stupa, dated in the year 93 of the Gupta era,> that is, in A.D. 412-13. It records the gift by one of Chandragupta's

> officers named Amrakardava, apparently a man of very high rank, of a village> called Isvaravasaka and of a sum of money to the Arya-Sangha or community of> the faithful at the great vihara or convent of Kakanadabota, for the purpose

> of feeding mendicants *(bhikshus)* and maintaining lamps.> > In A.D. 413 Kumaragupta succeeded Chandragupta II, and was himself> succeeded by Skandagupta in 455. It was towards the close of the reign of

> the latter Emperor (480 A.D.) that the Gupta Empire was overrun by invading> hosts of White Huns, and shorn of the greater part of its western dominions.> Eastern Malwa, however, was still unconquered in the reign of Skandagupta's

> successor, Buddhagupta, and it was not until about 500 A.D. that it passed> into the hands of a local chief named Bhanugupta, and not until a decade> later that it became feudatory to the Hun King, Toramana.

> > The rule of the Guptas lasted for little more than a hundred and> fifty years, but it marks in many respects the most brilliant and striking> of all epochs in Indian history. It was the age when the thought and genius

> of the Indian people awakened, and when there was an outburst of mental> activity such as has never since been equalled. What precisely were the> causes which underlay this sudden development of the nation intellect, we

> cannot say, any more than we can say what brought about similar developments> in the golden age of Greece or in Italy during the Renaissance. Possibly,> contact with other civilisations made have had something to do with it; for

> during this epoch there was close intercourse with the Sasanian Empire of> Persia, and there was intercourse also with China and the Roman Empire.> Possibly, too, the invasions of barbarian races and the sufferings they

> inflicted may have been contributing factors; for Northern India had> suffered long beneath the yoke of the Kushans, as well as of the Parthians> and Scythians. Whatever the causes may have been, the effects of the new

> intellectual vitality were conspicuous and far-reaching. In the political> sphere they resulted in resuscitating the Imperial idea, which had been> dormant since the time of the Mauryas, and the outcome of this idea was the

> consolidation of an empire which embraced the whole Northern India as far> south as the Narmada river In the sphere of religion, the new activity found> expression in the revival of Brahmanism, and along with Brahmanism, in the

> revival of Sanskrit, which was the sacred language of the Brahmans. It was> during this period that Kalidasa�the Shakespeare of India�wrote his immortal > plays, and that other famous dramas were produced; and during this period,> also, that the Puranas were finally redacted, that the laws of Manu took> their present form and that mathematics and astronomy reached their highest

> perfection. Thus, the Gupta age marked a re-awakening�a true> �Renaissance��of the Indian intellect; and the new intellectualism was > reflected in architecture and the formative arts as much as in other spheres> of knowledge and thought. Indeed, it is precisely in their intellectual> qualities�in their logical thought and logical beauty�that the architecture > and sculpture of the Gupta age stand pre-eminent in the history of Indian> art, and that they remind us in many respects of the creations of Greece> eight hundred years earlier or of Italy a thousand years later.

> > Of early Indian art the keynotes, as I have already noticed, were> spontaneous naturalism and simplicity. In the more advanced and cultured age> of the Guptas these qualities were brought under the constraint of reason,

> and art became more formal, more self-conscious arid more complex.> Necessarily it lost much of the naivet� and charm of the earlier work, but > it gained in qualities which appealed to the conscious intellect as well as> to the subconscious aesthetic sense: in symmetry and proportion, for> example; in the structural propriety of its forms; in the reasoned restraint

> of ornament and in the definition of detail. In another important feature,> also, the art of the Gupta period differed radically from all that had gone> before. For, whereas the Early School had regarded the formative arts merely

> as a valuable medium in which to narrate the legends and history of its> faith, in the Gupta age a closer contact was established between thought and> art, and sculptor and painter alike essayed to give articulate expression to

> their spiritual and emotional ideas by translating them into terms of form> and colour. The types of the Buddha which this age produced and in which it> succeeded in combining beauty of definition* *with a spirit of calm and

> peaceful contemplation are among the greatest contributions which India has> made to the World's Art.> > The �Renaissance� of India did not come to an end with the break-up > of the Gupta power, nor was it limited by the geographical boundaries of> that Empire. Its influence was felt not only throughout the length and> breadth of India, but in countries far beyond, and the strength which it had

> gathered in the fourth and fifth centuries did not exhaust itself until the> close of the seventh. These three centuries of India's Renaissance (circa> 350-650 A.D.) are commonly known as the �Gupta period,� though during the > latter half of this period the Guptas themselves were reduced to a petty> principality in Eastern India.> > For two generations Northern India lay under the yoke of the Huns,

> and it was not until 528 A.D. that their power was shattered by the> victories of Baladitya and Yasodharman over Mihiragula�the bloodthirsty and> ruthless successor of Toramana, who well earned for himself the title of �

> the Attila of India. � Then followed a period of quiescence, while the

 

> country was recovering from the savagery of the barbarians. During this> period, which lasted until the beginning of the 7th century, there was no> paramount authority in Northern India capable of welding together the petty

> states, and the latter were probably too weak and exhausted by their> sufferings to make a bid for imperial dominion. The ideals, however, of> Gupta culture, though necessarily weakened, were still vital forces in the

> life of the people, continuing to manifest themselves alike in their> science, their literature and their art; and it needed but the agency of a> strong, benevolent government to bring them once more to their full

> fruition. In Northern India, this agency was found in the government of> Harsha of Thanesar (606-647 A.D.), who within five and a half years of his> accession established an empire almost coterminous with that of the Guptas,

> and for thirty-five years more governed it with all the energy and> brilliancy that had distinguished their rule. The art of the 6th and 7th> centuries is represented at Sanchi mainly by detached images, which will be

> described in a separate catalogue, when the Museum now in course of erection> is complete. They are infused with the same spirit of calm contemplation, of> almost divine peace, as the images of the fourth and fifth centuries, but

> they have lost the beauty of definition which the earlier artists strove to> preserve, and, though still graceful and elegant, tend to become stereotyped> and artificial. The sculpture of this age, as we know from the caves at

> Ajanta, was not on so high a level as painting, and as a means of decoration> was probably less popular than the sister art. At Sanchi, unfortunately, no> trace is left of the chapels, and only those who know the grandeur of the

> Ajanta decorations, can appreciate how vastly different these buildings must> have looked in ancient days.> > *Later mediaeval period.*> > From 528 A.D., when the Huns were defeated, until 1023 A.D., when

> the Panjab was occupied by Mahmud of Ghazni, Northern India was left> practically immune from foreign aggressions and free therefore to work out> her own destinies. During these five centuries no need was felt of a central

> power to oppose the common foe; there was no voluntary cohesion among the> many petty states; and, with one single exception, no sovereign arose> vigorous enough to impose his will upon his neighbours. It was a period, in

> fact, of stagnation, when the energy of the country was largely dissipated> in internecine strife, and when its political weakness was reflected in the> religion and arts of the country. The only ruler, so* *far as we know, who

> rose superior to his age and surroundings was Mihira Bhoja of Kanauj, who> between the years 840-90 A.D. made himself master of an empire of which> extended from the Sutlej to Bihar and which was maintained intact by his

> successors Mahendrapala and Bhoja II. In this empire Eastern Malwa, which> was then ruled by the Paramara dynasty, is known to have been included at> the close of the 9th century, but the power of the Pratiharas of Kanauj

> rapidly declined during the early decades of the following century, and by> the time that Raja Munja (974-95 A.D.) came to the throne, Eastern Malwa> appears to have asserted its independence and to have become the predominant

> state in Central India. Both Munja and his nephew, the celebrated Bhoja, who> reigned over Malwa for more than 40 years (A.D. 1018-60), were liberal> patrons of literature and art, and themselves writers of no small ability. A

> reputed monument of the latter king, that may have preserved his name, was> the great Bhojpur lake to the S.E. of Bhopal, which was drained in the> fifteenth century by order of one of the Muhammadan kings. With the death of

> Bhoja, about 1060 A.D., the power of the Paramaras declined, and, though the> dynasty survived at Dhar, Malwa passed during the twelfth century into the> possession of the Chalukya kings of Anhilwara. With the subsequent history

> of this district we need not here concern ourselves; for at Sanchi there are> no Buddhist edifices of importance later than the twelfth century A.D., and> it is probable that the Buddhist religion, which had already been, largely

> merged into Hinduism, died out in Central India about that time.> > Of the architecture and sculpture of this later medieval period> there are various examples at Sanchi, including the whole group of

> structures on the Eastern terrace, numbered from 43 to 50, besides a vast> array of detached carvings, small votive stupas, statues and the like. One> and all bear witness to the rapidly declining purity both of the Buddhist

> religion and of Buddhist art, but it is in Temple 45, which is by far the> most pretentious monument of this epoch, that the visitor will most quickly> recognise the overwhelming influence which Hinduism, and particularly the

> Tantric cult, had exercised on Buddhism before the 11th century A.D., and it> is in the same temple that he will best appreciate the wide gulf which> separates this architecture from that of the Gupta age. During the later

> medieval times architecture aspired to greater magnificence and display, but> what it gained in grandeur (and the gain in this respect was undeniably> great), it lost in its aesthetic quality. There is no longer the same sense

> of proportion and of balance between form and ornament which was so> conspicuous in Gupta work. The purely decorative impulse which the Gupta> artist had kept under the control of reason, reasserts itself, and ornament

> is allowed to run riot, destroying thereby the unity and coherence of the> design. Carving loses its plasticity and vitality, and cult images become> stereotyped and lifeless�mere symbols, as it were, of religion, devoid alike

 

> of spirituality and of anatomical definition.> > *Sanchi in modern times.*> > From the 13th century onwards Sanchi appears to have been left> desolate and deserted. The city of Vidisa had fallen to ruins during the

> Gupta period and had been superseded by Bhilsa (Bhailasvamin); but, though> the latter town played an important part in local history during Muhammadan> times, and though it was thrice sacked by Moslem conquerors, and its temples

> destroyed for a fourth time in the reign of Aurangzeb, yet amid all this> devastation the monuments of Sanchii, in spite of their prominent position> on a hill only five miles away, were left unscathed, and when visited by

> Gen. Taylor in 1818, proved to be in a remarkably food state of> preservation. At that time three of the gateways of the Great Stupa were> still standing erect, and the southern one was lying where it had fallen;

> the great dome was intact; and a portion of the balustrade on the summit was> still in situ. The second and third stupas were also well preserved, and> there were remains of eight minor stupas, besides other buildings, in the

> vicinity of the Second Stupa, but no record of their condition is preserved.> The beauty and unique character of these monuments was immediately> recognized; and from 1819 onwards there appeared various notes,

> illustrations and monographs descriptive of their architecture and> sculpture, though too often marred by the fanciful ideas or inaccuracies of> the authors. Most notable among these works were Cunningham's Bhilsa Topes,

> (1854), Fergusson's Tree and Serpent worship (1868) and Gen. Maisey's Sanchi> and its Remains (1892). But the widespread interest which the discovery and> successive accounts of the stupas excited, proved lamentably disastrous to

> the monuments themselves; for the site quickly became a hunting-ground for> treasure seekers and amateur archeologists, who, in their efforts to probe> its hidden secrets or to enrich themselves from the spoils supposed to be

> hidden there, succeeded in half demolishing and doing irreparable harm to,> most of the structures. Thus, in 1822, Capt. Johnson, the Assistant> Political Agent in Bhopal, opened the Great Stupa from top to bottom on one

> side, and left a vast breach in it, which was the cause of much subsequent> damage to the body of the structure and of the collapse of the Western> Gateway and portions of the enclosing balustrade. The same blundering

> excavator was probably responsible, also, for the partial destruction of the> Second and Third Stupas, which until then had been in perfect repair. Then,> in 1851, Major (afterwards Gen. Sir) Alexander Cunningham and Capt. F. C.

> Maisey together contributed to the general spoliation of the site by hasty> excavations in several of the monuments, and, though they succeeded in> recovering a most valuable series of relic caskets from the Second and Third

> Stupas, their discoveries scarcely compensated for the damage entailed in> their operations,* *since the caskets themselves were subsequently lost.> During all these years the idea of repairing and preserving these

> incomparable structures for the sake of future generations seems never to> have entered anyone's head, and, though in 1869 (as an indirect result of a> request by Napoleon III for one of the richly carved gates) casts of the

> East Gate were prepared and presented to the principal national museums of> Europe, it was not until 1881, when still more havoc had been wrought by the> neighbouring villagers or by the ravages of the ever encroaching jungle that

> the Government bethought itself of safeguarding the original structures. In> that year Major Cole, then Curator of Ancient Monuments, cleared the hill> top of vegetation and filled the great breach in the Main Stupa made by

> Capt. Johnson nearly sixty years before, and during the two following years> he re-erected at the expense of the Imperial Government the fallen gates on> the south and west, as well as the smaller gate in front of the third stupa.

> No attempt, however, was made by him to preserve the other monuments which> were crumbling to ruin, to exhume from their debris the monasteries, temples> and other edifices which cover the plateau around the Great Stupa, or to

> protect the hundreds of loose sculptures and inscriptions lying on the site.> These tasks which involved operations far more extensive than any previously> carried out were left for the writer to undertake in 1912, and during the

> five years that have intervened since then they have been steadily and> systematically pushed forward. The building which were at that time visible> on the hill* *top were the Great Stupa and the few other remains which the

> reader will find indicated in the plan on Pl.> XV<http://www.mssc.edu/projectsouthasia/images/archaeology/sites/sanchi/SiteCenterPlanXLg.jpg>by

 

> hatched lines. For the rest, the whole site was buried beneath such> deep> accumulations of debris and so overgrown with jungle, that the very> existence of the majority of the monuments had not even been suspected. The

> first step therefore, was to clear the whole enclave of the thick jungle> growth in which it was enveloped. Then follower the excavation of the areas> to the south and east of the Great Stupa, where it was evident that a

> considerable depth of debris lay over the natural rock, and where,> accordingly, there was reason to hope (hope which has since been abundantly> justified) that substantial remains might be found. The building which have

> been exposed to view in the southern part of the site are for the most part> founded on the living rock; but those in the eastern area constitute only> the uppermost stratum, beneath which there still lip buried the remains of

> various earlier structures. Then I have been well content to leave to the> spade of some future explorer, having satisfied myself by trial digging at> different points that they are mainly monastic dwellings similar in

> character to those already brought to light in other parts of the enclave> and likely, there fore, to add but little to our present knowledge of the> monuments.> > The third task that awaited me was to put one and all of the

> monuments into as thorough and lasting a state of repair as was practicable.> Most important and most difficult of achievement among the many measures> which this task entailed have been: first, the dismantling and

> reconstruction of the south-west quadrant of the Great Stupa, which was> threatening to collapse and to bring down with it the South and West> Gateways, as well as the balustrade between them; secondly, the

> preservation, of Temple 18, the ponderous columns of which were leaning at> perilous angles, and had to be reset in the perpendicular and established on> secure foundations; and, thirdly, the repair of Temple 45, which had reached

> the last stage of decay and was a menace to anyone entering its shrine.> Other measures that are also deserving of particular mention, are the> rebuilding of the long retaining wall between the central and eastern

> terraces; the reconstruction of the dome, balustrades and crowning umbrella> of the Third Stupa; the re-roofing and general repair of Temples 17, 31 and> 32; the effective drainage (involving the relaying of the old fragmentary

> pavement) of the area around the Great Stupa; and the improvement and> beautifying of the site generally by roughly levelling and turfing it by the> (planting of trees and flowering creepers.>

> Finally, there remained the question of protecting the numerous> moveable antiquities which lay scattered about the site. For this purpose a> small but adequate museum is now in course of construction, where

> sculptures, inscriptions and architectural fragments can all be duly> arranged and catalogued, and where the visitor will find plans, photographs> and other materials to assist him in the study of these unique monuments.

> ------------------------------> > Marshall, John. *A Guide to Sanchi*. Calcutta: Superintendent,> Government Printing, 1918, 7-29.> > > http://projectsouthasia.sdstate.edu/Docs/archaeology/primarydocs/sanchi/HistArt.htm

>

 

 

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