The Andher Stupas are a group of three

stupa In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and m ...

located 19 km south-east of

Sanchi Sanchi Stupa is a Buddhist art, Buddhist complex, famous for its Great Stupa, on a hilltop at Sanchi Town in Raisen District of the States and territories of India, State of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is located, about 23 kilometers from Raisen ...

Raisen District Raisen District () is a Districts of Madhya Pradesh, district of Madhya Pradesh States and union territories of India, state of India. The town of Raisen is the district headquarters. The district is part of Bhopal Division. Sanchi University of ...

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Located high enough, they overlook the

Bhojpur Stupas The Bhojpur Stupas, also called Murelkhurd Stupas or Morel Khurd Stupas by the Archaeological Survey of India to avoid confusion with the village and archaeological site of Bhojpur, Madhya Pradesh about 45 km to the southwest, are a group of a ...

, beyond which are visible the stupas of

The stupas

Stupa No.1 can be dated to about 150 BCE.Huu Phuoc's Buddhist Architecture Th
p.148
/ref> It is the largest of the three stupas, and it has the remains of a barrier of stone surrounding it (Vedika or "railing").Buddhist Circuit in Central India: Sanchi, Satdhara, Sonari, Andher, Travel ..
p.34
/ref> Stupas No.2 and No.3 revealed inscriptions in

Brahmi Brahmi ( ; ; ISO: ''Brāhmī'') is a writing system from ancient India. "Until the late nineteenth century, the script of the Aśokan (non-Kharosthi) inscriptions and its immediate derivatives was referred to by various names such as 'lath' or ...

with the same names as the monks whose relics were found in Sanchi Stupa No.2 and

Sonari Sonari (IPA: ˈsəʊnɑːrɪ / ) is a city and headquarters of the Sonari district (by Chief Minister Mr. Tarun Gogoi on 15 August 2015) in the Indian state of Assam. Tourist Destinations There are several unexplored destinations of touris ...

(Vachi and Moggaliputa for stupa No.2 and Haritiputa for stupa No.3. Sanchi and surrounding stupas.jpg, Sanchi and surrounding stupas. File:Andher stupas map.jpg, Map of Andher stupas. File:Andher stupa and relics.jpg, Stupa No.1 and reliquary. File:Andher stupa 2.jpg, Stupa No.2. Andher reliquaries.jpg, Stupa No.2, reliquary
British Museum
and inscriptions. File:Andher Stupa 3.jpg , Stupa No.3. File:Andher Stupa 3 reliquary.jpg, Stupa No.3. In a red pottery vessel, a reliquary
British Museum
.

Other stupas nearby

There are altogether four groups of stupas surrounding Sanchi within a radius of about twenty kilometers: Bhojpur and Andher in the south-east,

in the southwest, and Satdhara to the west.Buddhist Circuit in Central India: Sanchi, Satdhara, Sonari, Andher, Travel ..
p.31
/ref> Further south, about 100 km away, is

Saru Maru Saru Maru is the archaeological site of an ancient monastic complex and Buddhist caves. The site is located near the village of Pangoraria, Budhani Tehsil, Sehore District, Madhya Pradesh, India.Gupta, The Origins of Indian Art, p.196 The site ...

References

External links

Reliquary of Andher stupa No.2 (British Museum)

Reliquary Vase of the Andher stupa No.2 (British Museum)

Shrine of Andher Stupa No.3 (British Museum)
{{Portal, History, India, Religion Stupas in India