Long before GoFundMe, a humble village united faith, labour, and legacy to raise one of the world’s most enduring spiritual monuments
Perched atop a quiet hill in central India, the Great Stupa of Sanchi stands as an ancient stone dome of silence that has endured for over two millennia. Often linked to Emperor Ashoka—the Mauryan ruler who adopted Buddhism after the Kalinga War—Sanchi is not just an imperial monument. It represents a collective act of devotion.
While Ashoka may have begun its construction in the 3rd century BCE, it was not built solely by royal decree. Local villagers—artisans, traders, monks, and laypeople—contributed labour, resources, and artistic brilliance. In short, Sanchi was crowd-built long before the term existed.
Unlike other stupas built directly on Buddhist pilgrimage sites, Sanchi had no direct association with the Buddha's life. Its location in present-day Madhya Pradesh was the birthplace of Ashoka's wife, Devi. However, more than that, it was a vibrant trading hub, with routes connecting it to the broader Buddhist world.
Sanchi's position on these routes meant the message of the Buddha could travel further, and the monument itself could benefit from local support. Inscriptions on the gateways and railings reveal an impressive fact: hundreds of ordinary people funded its construction — from ivory carvers and potters to housewives and merchants. Their names are carved into the stone, often alongside simple wishes: "May all beings attain Enlightenment."
(Credit: HTO India )
The stupa itself is a masterpiece of symbolic architecture. The solid hemispherical dome represents the Buddha seated in meditation. The square railing at its summit—the harmika—is the throne of Enlightenment. At its centre stands a spire or yasti, symbolising the cosmic axis that connects Earth to Heaven.
However, this was no temple to be entered. The practitioner was to walk around it, clockwise, in meditative reverence. This circumambulation, or pradakshina, mirrors the cycle of birth and rebirth (samsara) while guiding the practitioner inward, spiritually, towards the still centre—Nirvana.
(Credit: Media India )
The decorative toranas (gateways) of Sanchi, constructed in the 1st century BCE during the Satavahana dynasty, are arguably the most recognisable feature of the stupa. They depict dynamic narratives, not through images of the Buddha himself, but through symbols such as the Bodhi tree, the lotus, and the wheel, which illustrate stories from his past lives.
Remarkably, many of these carvings were created on the initiative of guilds and individuals rather than emperors. The artisans didn't merely follow predetermined designs; they artistically interpreted Buddhist teachings with remarkable emotional nuance and depth. The carvings are vibrant, expressing human joy, sorrow, compassion, and reverence. This is Dharma immortalised in stone.
(Credit: Pinterest )
To the Buddhist faithful, building a stupa was not merely a pious act—it was a karmic investment. Ancient texts enumerate ten spiritual merits from constructing a stupa, including favourable rebirths and liberation from poverty.
This belief probably motivated the contributions from many who would never see their names in royal edicts. They believed that supporting the Dharma was supporting the salvation of all beings.
Even today, Sanchi's donors whisper across time through inscriptions like: "The gift of Ananda, the perfume seller,” "Given by Vidika, the flower-gatherer," or "By the daughter of a mason." The monument belongs to them—not just to Ashoka.
Today, as the digital age redefines how we fund dreams, Sanchi offers a powerful precedent. It was built not by a ruler's command but by a collective conscience—a grassroots effort to embody the Enlightenment in stone.
