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Sanchi sits on a sandstone hilltop in the Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh, 46 km northeast of Bhopal. The site was chosen for Buddhist monasticism in the 3rd century BCE — possibly because of its proximity to Vidisha, a major city of the Mauryan empire and birthplace of Devi, the wife of Emperor Ashoka. According to Buddhist tradition, Ashoka's son Mahinda, who carried Buddhism to Sri Lanka, was raised and ordained at Sanchi.
The Great Stupa (Stupa No. 1) is the earliest stone structure in Buddhist architecture. It began as a simple hemispherical mound of brick and earth commissioned by Ashoka (c. 269–232 BCE), enclosing relics of the Buddha. In the 2nd century BCE, during the Shunga dynasty, it was enlarged to roughly twice its original size, encased in stone, and given a circumambulatory path (pradakshina path) on a raised drum. The stupa now stands 16.5 m high with a diameter of 36.6 m, topped by a three-tiered honorific umbrella (chattravali) and surrounded by a massive stone railing.
The four toranas (gateways) added in the 1st century BCE–1st century CE are the masterwork of early Indian narrative sculpture. Each gateway consists of two square pillars supporting three curved architraves, every surface densely carved with scenes from the Jataka tales (the past lives of the Buddha), the life of the historical Buddha, and scenes of worship. The Buddha himself is never depicted in human form in the early gateways — his presence is indicated by symbols (the Bodhi tree, footprints, a parasol, an empty throne) in a convention of aniconic representation that predates the Gandharan introduction of Buddha portraiture. The gateway carvings preserve the most complete visual narrative of early Buddhism that survives: the Maya Dream, the Temptation by Mara, the First Sermon at Sarnath, the Mahaparinirvana, and dozens of Jataka stories are represented.
The site fell out of use after the 13th century, was rediscovered by a British officer in 1818, and was partly excavated and restored in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by John Marshall.