The Great Stupa
The southern side.
On what side of the Great Stupa is there a split double stairway?
General Taylor of the Bengal Army in 1818.
Who was the first westerner to discover the Great Stupa and when did he do it?
Sir John Marshall and Albert Foucher
Who were the two men who oversaw the restoration of the Great Stupa?
3
How many parts are the tornas (gates) divided into?
3
How many stupas are at the Sanchi site?
50 feet tall
How tall is the Great Stupa?
A sacred diagram of the universe.
What is a mandala?
A single pillar emerging from the top of the anda (dome). It is capped by 3 circular disks (chatras). It symbolizes the axis of the universe.
What is a yasti? What does it symbolize?
The dome of the stupa.
What is an anda?
It is the oldest Buddhist sanctuary in existence.
What is significant about the Great Stupa?
earth and rubble
What is the Great Stupa made out of?
The monastic order.
What is the Sangha in Buddhism?
wooden prototypes; thick posts fronting wide horizontal boards
What is the fence based off of? What does it give the impression of?
The low square fence that surrounds the yasti. It symbolizes the sphere of the gods.
What is the harmika? What does it symbolize?
The big stone fence at its base.
What is the most consistent motif of the Great Stupa?
A 3-D mandala, a sacred diagram of the universe.
What is the stupa intended to function as?
The realms of the human and the divine.
What is the yasti believed to connect?
Ashoka
What ruler dedicated the original structure?
1881
When did formal restoration of the Great Stupa begin?
Between 1912 and 1919
When did most of the work restoring the Great Stupa happen?
1989
When did the Great Stupa become a UNESCORTED world heritage site?
The 3rd century BCE
When was the current version of the Great Stupa built?
the first century BCE
When were the balustrades and second story walkway added to the Great Stupa?
north, south, east, and west
Where are the tornas (gates) in the fence surrounding the Great Stupa.
Sanchi in current day Madhya Pradesh
Where is the Great Stupa located?
3 circular disks that cap the yasti. They symbolize the 3 Jewels of Buddhism.
What are chatras? What do they symbolize?
the Buddha, the Law, and the Sangha (monastic order)
What are the 3 Jewels of Buddhism?
Gateways at larger stupas that pierce the main fence at cardinal points.
What are tornas?
the "world mountain"
What does the stupa mound itself symbolize?