Question

The Sanchi stupa was erected in emperor_________’s time.
A) Akbar
B) Kanishka
C) Ashoka
D) Ajatsatru

Answer 1

Hint: Sanchi Stupa (also known as the Great Stupa or Stupa Number 1) is India's oldest stone construction and one of the country's oldest Buddhist monuments. This amazing landmark was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1989 and is in excellent condition, especially considering its antiquity.

Complete answer:
Since Emperor Ashoka built it in the 3rd century BC, the Great Stupa at Sanchi has been the focal point of Buddhist beliefs in the region. The great edifice, which sits on a hill and is surrounded by the ruins of lesser stupas, monasteries, and temples created as the religious community evolved in the centuries after the site was founded, still evokes awe today.

The original Ashokan stupa, despite its remarkable grandeur today, was about half the size and made of huge bricks and mud mortar. It was thought to have raised terraces at the bottom, a wooden railing around it, and a stone canopy atop it. During the Sunga period, which began roughly 50 years after Ashoka's death, the stupa was extended with local sandstone.

The four cardinal points' entrances are the structure's highlights, with a series of exquisite carvings depicting Buddhist symbols as well as key historical and religious episodes. Surprisingly, Buddha is always depicted as a symbol rather than a human in these carvings. On the gateways, he is depicted as a horse without a rider, an umbrella over an empty throne, the Bodhi tree, or as a footprint. A figure of Buddha in human form seated under a pillared canopy may be found at each of the gateway entrances. They were added to the site considerably later than the rest of the stupa's ornamentation, in the 5th century AD, while the worship remained here. It's yet another example of Emperor Ashoka's love for the city of Sanchi.

This stupa is India's oldest stone building, dating back to the Mauryan period. Emperor Ashoka commissioned this massive hemispherical dome in the third century BCE, which comprises a central chamber.

Thus the correct answer is option ‘C’.

Note: Sanchi's Great Stupa is one of the most important Buddhist structures, displaying a treasure trove of Buddhist art and architecture. This Stupa, located in Sanchi Town, Madhya Pradesh, India, is the oldest stone monument in India, dating back to the Mauryan period.