Stupa 3, Sanchi: History, highlights and visitor guide

History and context

The story behind Stupa 3

Stupa 3 is generally dated to the middle of the second century BCE, contemporary with the wider building activity on the hill during the Sunga period. Relic caskets recovered from inside it, inscribed with the names of Sariputta and Moggallana, were sent to England in the nineteenth century and later returned to India, and are now kept at the site's Chetiyagiri Vihara rather than inside the stupa.

Useful facts

Stupa 3 facts at a glance

Location

Roughly 60 metres north of the Great Stupa, Sanchi hilltop

Experience type

Small stupa with a single carved gateway

Known for

Relic caskets of the disciples Sariputta and Moggallana, found inside it

Architect/Built

Mid-2nd century BCE, Sunga period

Time or schedule

Open with the same hours as the Great Stupa

Why it matters

Why Stupa 3 is worth your time

The discovery of relics linked to Sariputta and Moggallana inside Stupa 3 gave nineteenth-century archaeologists rare, concrete evidence connecting a specific structure at Sanchi to named figures from the earliest Buddhist tradition, rather than the more general devotional purpose inferred at most stupas. That find helped establish Sanchi's importance well beyond its architectural interest.

The stupa's single gateway, built to a similar decorative programme as the Great Stupa's four but at reduced scale, also offers a useful lesson in how the Sanchi workshops adapted a shared visual vocabulary to structures of different importance and budget across the same hilltop.

Highlights

What not to miss

1. 01

   The single gateway

   A smaller, single torana carved with Jataka and symbolic imagery, useful for comparing with the Great Stupa's four gateways.

2. 02

   Relic history

   Caskets found inside are inscribed with the names of Sariputta and Moggallana, two of the Buddha's principal disciples.

3. 03

   Proximity to the Great Stupa

   Close enough to see in a few minutes as part of the same visit, with no extra walking needed.

Plan your visit

How to experience it

Stupa 3 is compact, with a single carved gateway on its southern side rather than the four found at the Great Stupa, which makes it a useful point of comparison for seeing how the larger monument's decorative scheme scaled up. The gateway itself carries similar Jataka and symbolic Buddha imagery in a smaller format.

What makes the stupa historically significant is what nineteenth-century excavators found inside: two stone relic caskets identified through inscriptions as containing remains of Sariputta and Moggallana, the Buddha's two chief disciples. The caskets were removed to Britain for a time and later returned to India, and are now displayed at the Sanchi Archaeological Museum's Chetiyagiri Vihara nearby rather than at the stupa itself, so pair this stop with a museum visit if the disciples' relics interest you.

Because it sits directly off the main circuit, most visitors take it in as a short pause on the way between the Great Stupa and the northern gateway rather than as a separate destination.

Know before you go

Timing, access and comfort

Area

About 60 metres north of the Great Stupa

Time needed

10–15 minutes

Best time

Any time during the visit to the Great Stupa; it needs no separate trip

Walking level

Easy

Senior comfort

A very short, flat walk from the Great Stupa's main path; no steps or climbing involved. One of the easiest stops on the hilltop.

Tickets and access

Covered by the same composite ASI ticket as the Great Stupa; no separate entry fee.

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