Sanchi Monuments
Prince of Wales Museum of Western India
- Location : Mahatma Gandhi Road, Mumbai, Maharashtra
- Timings : 10.15 am to 5.00 pm (Closed on Mondays, 26 January and 15 August)
The Prince of Wales Museum was designed and built to represented the ancient and medieval architectural styles of western India.The basalt stone structure with its large central dome inspired by the Bijapur domes and beautiful gardens are set in a crescent shaped piece of land. The art section at the musuem has a collection of Indian paintings representing its different styles and phases. The collection presents the evolution of painting in India, ranging from the 11th and 12th century illustrated palm leaf manuscripts to early 19th century Pahari paintings Exquisite examples of all the main schols of miniature painting are on view ; Rajput, Mughal, Phari, and Deccani. It is obvious that the fine excellence of the Mughal and Rajasthani schools, from 16th to 19th century, only emerged out of past influences, indigenous Indian as well as Persian, Turkish and central Asian.
Archaeological Museum
- Location : Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh
- Timings : 10.00 am – 5.00 pm every day except on Fridays and government holidays
Like most site Museums in India, this one also owes its genesis to an English general accidentally stumbling upon some ancient ruins around 1818. Eventual archaeological explorations revealed one of the richest sculptural finds of Buddhist heritage.
The original stupa was started here by Emperor Ashoka. Successive generations continued to renovate and embellish the original brick stupa with exquisitely sculpted stone. This period of superb creativity stretched between 3rd century AD, blending Hindu and Buddhist styles and building a complex of stupa, temples, monasteries, etc. that remain unparalleled in the excellence of the form and beauty of detailed.
There is a lion capital of an Ashoka pillar here very similar to the one found in Sarnath, the latter now the emblem of India. Other notable sculptures found here include statues of the Buddha, several bodhisattavas and early Hindu Period statues of Ganesh, Mahishasuramardini among others.