sanchi – an ancient buddhist monastery in india

One of the biggest and oldest Buddhist monastic complexes is located on a small hill in Central India not far from modern day Bhopal.

The first structures of the monastery and the stupas were built during the reign of emperor Ashoka the Great (3rd century BCE), who wanted to spread the teachings of Buddha throughout his huge empire. His son Mahendra, a Buddhist monk, came here on his way to Sri Lanka. Since then until about 1200 CE Sanchi was a flourishing place of worship and meditation. More and more temples, assembly halls, and
monastic residences (viharas) were added. When Buddhism disappeared from India and Hinduism became once again the predominant religion the site was forgotten and overgrown with plants. Only in the 1818 the Great Stupa was rediscovered by an English army officer. The site has been restored by archeologists in the 19th and 20th century and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

About 2300 years after the initial construction I came by train in 1993 to visit the great stupa and the surrounding monastic buildings and took some video 8 footage from sunrise to sunset.