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Vaishya Tekri Ujjain: The Mysterious Ancient Stupa That May Be Larger Than Sanchi

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For nearly nine decades, a massive archaeological mound near Ujjain has remained only partially understood. Known as Vaishya Tekri , the site was excavated in 1938–39, when archaeologists identified the remains of an unusually large monument believed to be a Buddhist stupa. Now, after almost 90 years, the site has returned to the archaeological spotlight. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the Madhya Pradesh government are pursuing renewed investigation and excavation at Vaishya Tekri. The most striking claim comes from the old excavation record: the monument was estimated to have a base of around 350 feet in diameter and a height of at least 100 feet . For comparison, the present Great Stupa at Sanchi is about 54 feet high. However, whether Vaishya Tekri was actually larger than Sanchi—and whether it was specifically built under Emperor Ashoka—still requires scientific verification.  What Is Vaishya Tekri? Vaishya Tekri is an ancient archaeological mound at Undasa in Ujj...

Bharhut stupa: Where stones spoke of buddha's past lives.

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Bharhut stupa : where stones spoke of  Buddha's past lives.     Bharhut stupa was built   by Ashoka(circa250 BCE) initially and was later improvised by the Sungas. The railings of the stupa and its one surviving gates are at the Indian museum in Kolkata. This is the earliest stupa railing to have survived. The most famous donor for bharhut stupa was king Dhanabhuti .The sculpture of bharhut represent some of the earliest example of Indian and Buddhist art. Buddhism continued to survive in bharhut until 12th century. A small Buddhist temple was enlarged around 1100AD and a new statue of Buddha was installed. In the bharhut sculptures there is no traces of any images worship , the only objects of reverence being stupa, wheel , Bodhi trees, buddha Padas and the symbol of Tri-ratna .               Description of stupa               Position of bharhut—     Bharhut also called barda...

Kesaria stupa: world's largest buddhist stupa.

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 The Kesaria stupa : Built to honor Buddha's final days– Kesaria stupa According to some scholars, this is the place where prince Gautama cut his hair to renounce the world, after leaving his palace. Other scholars believe that actual place was nearer from kapilavastu.                          It is believed that the current structure was built somewhere between 200 AD and 750 AD to honor the location where buddha spent his begging bowl. The structure is a fine example of Buddhist architecture. In the time of Buddha, it was known as kessaputta. Lord buddha said to have made several announcements from here, which later formed part of the Jatka tales . Huen tsang mentions having seen the grand stupa in kia-shi-po-lo (kesariya) but it was deserted and vegetation had overgrown. It is believed that lord buddha spent a night at this place before his nirvana and have his begging-bowl to the lichhivis . Lichhivis are all...

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