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  • 21 Aug, 2019

  • By, Wikipedia

Chaukhandi Stupa

Chaukhandi Stupa is a Buddhist stupa in Sarnath located 8 kilometres from Cantt Railway Station in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. The site was declared to be a monument of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India in June 2019.

History

The Chaukhandi Stupa is thought originally to have been built as a terraced temple during the 7th and 8th 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 Mughal ruler.

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. ^ "Chaukhandi Stupa declared to be "of national importance"". The Hindu. 9 June 2019. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 9 June 2019.