Landmarks in Sanchi
- 01
Ashoka Pillar
The broken shaft of one of Emperor Ashoka's polished sandstone pillars, standing near the Great Stupa's southern gateway. Its lion capital, now in the site museum, is one of the finest surviving examples of Mauryan stone carving.
- Time needed
- 5–10 minutes at the pillar; 15–20 minutes more to see the capital in the museum
- Walking
- Easy
- Best time
- Any time during a visit to the Great Stupa
- Tickets
- Covered by the same composite ASI ticket as the Great Stupa; no separate entry fee. The lion capital itself is displayed inside the Sanchi Archaeological Museum, which has its own modest entry.
- 02
Stupa 2
A smaller, quieter stupa on the western edge of the hill, ringed by a railing carved with some of the earliest decorative reliefs known in Indian art. Most visitors reach it after the crowds at the Great Stupa.
- Time needed
- 20–30 minutes
- Walking
- Easy
- Best time
- Mid-morning, after the Great Stupa's early rush has passed
- Tickets
- Covered by the same composite ASI ticket as the Great Stupa; no separate entry fee.
- 03
Stupa 3
A single-gateway stupa close to the Great Stupa that once held relics of two of the Buddha's chief disciples, Sariputta and Moggallana. Small in scale but significant in what was found inside it.
- Time needed
- 10–15 minutes
- Walking
- Easy
- Best time
- Any time during the visit to the Great Stupa; it needs no separate trip
- Tickets
- Covered by the same composite ASI ticket as the Great Stupa; no separate entry fee.
- 04
The Great Stupa (Stupa 1)
A solid hemispherical dome enclosing relics, ringed by a carved stone railing and four gateways telling the Buddha's story in stone. It is the reason Sanchi exists on any map.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Walking
- Easy
- Best time
- Just after opening, or the last hour before closing, when the crowds thin and the sandstone takes warm side-light
- Tickets
- Ticketed entry, managed by the Archaeological Survey of India, with separate rates for domestic and foreign visitors; check the current fee on the ASI or Madhya Pradesh Tourism website before you go, since rates are revised periodically.
Day trips in Sanchi
- 05
Bhojeshwar Temple, Bhojpur
An unfinished eleventh-century Shiva temple on the Betwa river, built around one of the largest surviving Shiva lingams in India and abandoned mid-construction for reasons still debated by historians.
- Time needed
- 45–60 minutes
- Walking
- Moderate
- Best time
- Morning or early evening, avoiding the midday heat on the temple's stone platform
- Tickets
- As an active temple as well as a protected monument, dress modestly and expect to remove footwear before entering the sanctum; photography of the lingam itself may be restricted, so check with staff on arrival.
- 06
Udayagiri Caves
Twenty rock-cut caves carved into a low hill near Vidisha, mostly dedicated to Vishnu and Shiva, with a monumental Gupta-period relief of Varaha rescuing the earth goddess.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Walking
- Moderate
- Best time
- Morning, before the midday heat, especially outside the monsoon when the hill paths can be slippery
- Tickets
- Ticketed entry managed by the Archaeological Survey of India; confirm the current fee and opening hours before travelling, as this is a day-trip site with more limited visitor infrastructure than Sanchi itself.
- 07
Vidisha: Heliodorus Pillar & Bijamandal
A working district town near Sanchi with two very different ancient remains: the Heliodorus Pillar, a rare Indo-Greek dedication to a Hindu deity, and the Bijamandal, a huge ruined temple platform later built over with a mosque.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours for both sites
- Walking
- Easy
- Best time
- Morning, combined with Udayagiri Caves in the same outing
- Tickets
- The Heliodorus Pillar site has no significant ticketing; the Bijamandal monument is managed by the Archaeological Survey of India. Confirm current access arrangements before travelling, as these are lower-profile sites with less visitor infrastructure than Sanchi.
Temples in Sanchi
- 08
Gupta Temple (Temple 17)
A small, flat-roofed stone shrine with a pillared porch, built during the Gupta period and often cited as one of the earliest and most cleanly resolved free-standing temples in India.
- Time needed
- 10–15 minutes
- Walking
- Easy
- Best time
- Any time during the main Sanchi visit; morning light suits its plain stone surfaces
- Tickets
- Covered by the same composite ASI ticket as the Great Stupa; no separate entry fee.
Museums in Sanchi
- 09
Sanchi Archaeological Museum
A compact ASI museum at the foot of the hill holding sculpture, relic caskets and architectural fragments recovered from Sanchi and nearby sites, including the original Ashoka Pillar lion capital.
- Time needed
- 30–45 minutes
- Walking
- Easy
- Best time
- Midday, when it offers a cool, air-conditioned break from the open hilltop
- Tickets
- Ticketed separately from the hilltop monuments, at a modest fee; check current hours, as the museum is typically closed one day a week.
