Chaukhandi Stupa

Chaukhandi Stupa is a Buddhist stupa in Sarnath, located 8 kilometres from Cantt Railway Station Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. Stupas have evolved from burial mounds and serve as a shrine for a relic of the Buddha.[1] The site was declared to be a monument of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India in June 2019. [2]

Chaukhandi Stupa
Chaukhandi Stupa
Religion
AffiliationBuddhism
StatusPreserved
Location
Location India
StateUttar Pradesh
Shown within India
Geographic coordinates25.374102°N 83.023658°E / 25.374102; 83.023658

History

The Chaukhandi Stupa is thought originally to have been built as a terraced temple during the Gupta period between the 4th and 6th centuries to mark the site where Buddha and his first disciples met traveling from Bodh Gaya to Sarnath. Later Govardhan, the son of a Raja Todar Mal, modified the stupa to its present shape by building the octagonal tower to commemorate the visit of Humayun, the powerful Mughal ruler.[3]

Today the stupa is a high earthen mound covered with a brickwork edifice topped by an octagonal tower. It is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India.

Various plinths at the Chaukhandi Stupa
Close up of Chaukhandi Stupa plinth

See also

Reference notes
  1. "History of Architecture - Shrines and temples". historyworld.net. Retrieved 18 December 2006.
  2. "Chaukhandi Stupa declared to be "of national importance"". The Hindu. Special Correspondent. 9 June 2019. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 9 June 2019.CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. "Chaukhandi Stupa". Varanasicity.com. Retrieved 16 October 2006.


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