Andher Stupas Explained

Andher Stupas
Native Name:	Andher Stupas
Imagealttext:	Stupa No.1 at Andher.
Map Type:	India#India Madhya Pradesh
Relief:	yes
Coordinates:	23.4111°N 77.9072°W
Type:	Buddhist settlement

The Andher Stupas are a group of three stupa located 19 km south-east of Sanchi, Raisen District, Madhya Pradesh, India. Located high enough, they overlook the Bhojpur Stupas, beyond which are visible the stupas of Sanchi.

The stupas

Stupa No.1 can be dated to about 150 BCE.^[1] It is the largest of the three stupas, and it has the remains of a barrier of stone surrounding it (Vedika or "railing").^[2]

Stupas No.2 and No.3 revealed inscriptions in Brahmi with the same names as the monks whose relics were found in Sanchi Stupa No.2 and Sonari (Vachi and Moggaliputa for stupa No.2 and Haritiputa for stupa No.3.^[1]

Sanchi and surrounding stupas.jpg|Sanchi and surrounding stupas.File:Andher stupas map.jpg|Map of Andher stupas.File:Andher stupa and relics.jpg|Stupa No.1 and reliquary.File:Andher stupa 2.jpg|Stupa No.2.Andher reliquaries.jpg|Stupa No.2, reliquary (British Museum) and inscriptions.File:Andher Stupa 3.jpg | Stupa No.3.File:Andher Stupa 3 reliquary.jpg|Stupa No.3. In a red pottery vessel, a reliquary (British Museum ).

Other stupas nearby

There are altogether four groups of stupas surrounding Sanchi within a radius of about twenty kilometers: Bhojpur and Andher in the south-east, Sonari in the southwest, and Satdhara to the west.^[3] Further south, about 100 km away, is Saru Maru.

External links

• Reliquary of Andher stupa No.2 (British Museum)
• Reliquary Vase of the Andher stupa No.2 (British Museum)
• Shrine of Andher Stupa No.3 (British Museum)

Notes and References

1. Huu Phuoc's Buddhist Architecture The p.148
2. Buddhist Circuit in Central India: Sanchi, Satdhara, Sonari, Andher, Travel ... p.34
3. Buddhist Circuit in Central India: Sanchi, Satdhara, Sonari, Andher, Travel ... p.31