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. [1]

Chaukhandi Stupa
Chaukhandi Stupa
Religion
AffiliationBuddhism
StatusPreserved
Location
LocationIndia Sarnath, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
StateUttar Pradesh
Chaukhandi Stupa is located in India
Chaukhandi Stupa
Shown within India
Geographic coordinates25°22′27″N 83°01′25″E / 25.374102°N 83.023658°E / 25.374102; 83.023658

History

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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

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Reference notes

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