Chaukhandi Stupa
Chaukhandi Stupa is a Buddhist stupa in Sarnath located 8 kilometres from Cantt Railway Station in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. Stupas have evolved from burial mounds and serve as a shrine for a relic of the Buddha.[1] The site was declared to be a monument of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India in June 2019. [2]
| Chaukhandi Stupa | |
|---|---|
 Chaukhandi Stupa | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Buddhism |
| Status | Preserved |
| Location | |
| Location |  Sarnath, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh |
| State | Uttar Pradesh |
  Shown within India | |
| Geographic coordinates | 25.374102°N 83.023658°E |
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.[3]
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
- "History of Architecture - Shrines and temples". historyworld.net. Retrieved 18 December 2006.
- "Chaukhandi Stupa declared to be "of national importance"". The Hindu. 9 June 2019. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
- "Chaukhandi Stupa". Varanasicity.com. Retrieved 16 October 2006.
