INDIAN HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -The main stupa at Piprahwa, one of the earliest so far discovered in India, was built in three phases. In the 6th-5th century BCE, around the time of the death of the Buddha, it was raised by piling up natural earth from the surrounding area.

Detailed explanation-2: -The “Great Stupa” at Sanchi is the oldest structure and was originally commissioned by the emperor Ashoka the Great of the Maurya Empire in the 3rd century BCE.

Detailed explanation-3: -Piprahwa is best known for its archaeological site and excavations that suggest that it may have been the burial place of the portion of the Buddha’s ashes that were given to his own Sakya clan. A large stupa and the ruins of several monasteries as well as a museum are located within the site.

Detailed explanation-4: -Scholars today believe them to be one of the original eight divisions of Shakyamuni’s remains, the portion that had been enshrined in Kapilavastu (present-day Piprahwa). According to tradition, King Ashoka erected eighty-four thousand stupas to house the Buddha’s relics.

Detailed explanation-5: -According to UNESCO, Ramagrama stupa is the only undisturbed original stupa containing relics of Lord Buddha; built in the 6th century BCE.