Sanchi has a rich history with the Ashoka's best stupa located here. The site has been beautifully restored and there is even a museum that documents the restoration process with pictures from a century back. The site is huge and there are old Buddhist monuments from the time of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka. Anyone with an interest in history will love it but even others may enjoy the site as it is a very nice comfortable place to stroll as well. The entry fees are low and the evening light show is good even though the scheduling is a bit erratic at times.

Visited after 33 years. Big change in the surroundings. The monuments are the same. Description of the monument has come up now with lawns. Those days about 3 or 4 decades back hardly anyone visited except on the weekends turning it into a picnic spot. Transportation wasn’t easy then. Entry ticket is 40 rupees and the counter is about a km before one can reach the monument area. Plenty of parking spots. Be prepared to walk to see and learn about the stupas. To cover it all, then keep ATLEAST 2 to 3 hours on hand. Clean toilets available close to a cafeteria. Worth a visit. Monuments well preserved.

One has grown up with images of the Sanchi Stupa and its easily identifiable gateways (Toranas) in History textbooks and tourism brochures. Finally I visited it in my seventieth year and it turned out to be much better than I had imagined. The site is on a hilltop. Once can drive close to it and then it is a gentle walk to the monument. My daughter, who is an art historian, was fascinated by the carvings on the four gates. The licensed guide was well-informed and helped us appreciate the monument better. The lawns around the monument are well-maintained and clean. A bonus was a small but significant temple from the Gupta era, claimed to be the oldest in India.