Four gateways, one railing
Around the Great Stupa at Sanchi stand four stone gateways, called toranas, placed at the four cardinal directions. Each has two square pillars supporting three curved crossbeams, and each is covered in carving. They are generally dated to about the first century BCE into the first century CE, and they were added after the stupa itself and its railing were in place. For the earlier stages, see the history of the monument elsewhere in this cluster.
The Sanchi gateways are among the most studied pieces of early Indian sculpture. The north gateway is generally regarded as the best preserved, and the four are not identical, so each is worth looking at separately. Surface wear and past restoration mean that some details are clearer than others.
Who paid for them
Inscriptions on the gateways show that the work was supported by donors. One inscription on the southern gateway names a king of the Satavahana dynasty, and another records a gift by ivory workers from nearby Vidisha. This fits what is known about the site as a whole, supported by many people over time. It also suggests that the style may reflect the skills of craftsmen used to working in ivory, though that is an interpretation and not something the inscriptions state.
How the Buddha is shown
The most distinctive feature of the carvings is what is missing. The Buddha does not appear in human form on the gateways. Instead, his presence is indicated through symbols:
- a tree, standing for the place of the awakening, as discussed in the article on the Bodhi tree,
- an empty throne or seat,
- a wheel, referring to his first teaching, as described in the Dharma wheel symbol,
- footprints, and
- a stupa, representing his final passing.
This approach is called aniconic. Scholars debate the reasons. One view is that early Buddhists preferred to honour the Buddha through symbols, in line with the idea that he had passed beyond ordinary existence. Others suggest that it was a convention, or that figural images simply developed later. The question is open, and the topic is covered in more depth in the guide to early aniconic Buddha symbols. By around the fifth century, Sanchi’s four entrances received seated Buddha images, showing that practice changed.
The stories on the gateways
The carvings are narrative. A visitor who knows the stories can follow them, and several recurring types appear.
Scenes from the Buddha’s life. These include the birth story, the awakening, and the first teaching. The Buddha birth story is told with symbols and attendant figures, not with a visible infant. Panels related to the awakening typically show devotees around a tree.
Jataka tales. These are stories of the Buddha’s previous lives. One commonly identified at Sanchi concerns an elephant with six tusks, and another concerns a generous prince. The wider tradition is explained in the entry on Jataka tales.
Scenes of earlier Buddhas. Some carvings are understood to show a series of former Buddhas, each with his own tree.
Historical or royal subjects. One panel is generally interpreted as showing a king visiting a stupa with his retinue, which has long been linked with Emperor Ashoka, although the identification is an interpretation.
Processions and sieges. Some panels show a crowd of devotees or a siege of a city by armies, often read as the contest over relics after the Buddha’s death.
Identifications of individual scenes sometimes differ between scholars, so labels on site and in museums should be treated as the best current reading.
Figures and decoration
Beyond the narrative panels, the gateways carry elephants, lions, and mythical beasts, along with lotus patterns, which relate to lotus symbolism more widely. The brackets between the crossbeams show graceful female figures, often interpreted as tree spirits and sometimes referred to by a Sanskrit term for a woman beneath a tree. Whether they carry a religious meaning or a decorative one is discussed by scholars.
The carving was done in a style close to work in wood or ivory, with crowded compositions and a strong sense of depth. Seeing the whole entrance as one composition, not panel by panel, is part of the experience.
Seeing them today
Light matters: carvings are often easier to read in early morning or late afternoon. Some replicas of the gateways exist in museums elsewhere, but the originals remain on the hill. Opening hours, fees, and access arrangements change, so check current official information. Keep a respectful distance, and do not touch the sculpture.