Bhopal, Apr 19: Madhya Pradeshis full of archeological sites .Be it the famous Udaigiri caves, the Bhimketka paintings ,or the very prominent Sanchi Stupa. A visit to Bhopal or adjoining areas is incomplete without a visit to Sanchi. Keeping this in mind I decided to pay a visit to Sanchi on World Heritage Day.

We took a trip down centuries by visiting the Sanchi shrine.

The monuments of Sanchi were built during 3rdcentury to 12th century BC. Toranas surround the stupa and they represent love, peace, trust and courage. The main attraction is a brick structure crowned by a chatra.It is built over the relics of the Buddha. The skills of the crafts men are apparent in the stupas. Stupa means a mound. Stupas may be of several kinds -round, tall, big and small. They contain bodily remains of the Buddha along with precious stones and coins.A box known as relic basket was first covered with mud. Later a layer of mud bricks was laid. Then the dome structure was covered with carved stone slabs.

The brick mound was made at the time of Ashok. The railings and gateways were added later during the time of other rulers. The path known as "pradakshina path "is laid around the stupa. This is surrounded by railings. Entrance to the path is through gateways. Devotees walked around the stupa in a clockwise direction, as a mark of devotion. Both railings and gateways are decorated in sculpture. The gateways depict stories from life of the Buddha. The depiction of an empty seat under a tree shows that Buddha had attained enlightenment under it.

One cannot help marvel at the architectural skills of the master craftsmen of those times who used chisels and hammers to create such masterpieces in stone at Sanchi. The carved gateways and the intricate carvings are a sight to watch.

The few hours that I spent at Sanchi away from the madding city crowd would remain etched in my memories for years to come.A must visit site for Bhopalites.