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Log Five: Dhar - Sanchi

Location:Madhya Pradesh, 296 kms NE of Dhar.
Popular attractions:
Place is known for its samples of the finest Buddhist art in India. Most popular is the Sanchi Stupa built in the third century BC

Accommodation

Internet connectivity: Not available

Route: Dhar - Sanchi

The drive to Khajuraho, from Bhopal, via Sanchi, has got to rank as the most abominable road to have ever been called a state highway.

While brief stretches would have made E F Schumacher happy (so long as no oncoming traffic forced him into a wheat field given the single lane road), the road in general was appalling. Shameful that the Bhopal-Sanchi-Khajuraho 'state highway' should be such a complete disaster. The road got a little better after Sagar.

Also given that places like Gyaraspur (known for its ruins of of ninth and tenth century temples) are along this road, the government should sit up and do something about the road.
We were thankful that there had been a few showers that provided some relief to the landscape. The villagers were also apparently very relieved. The rivers were full of local children frolicking in the water. The temple and the children playing in the river caught our eye and was a heart warmer on an otherwise stressful drive.

We got up early to try and catch the stupas at sunrise. We weren't early enough. Suggest you be at the site by six in the morning during the winters. During the summers it would have to be some unearthly hour like 5:30 am. If you aren't a morning person suggest you do the stupas at sunset!

The site, with all its stupas and monasteries, is not as impressive as it is peaceful. We were lucky to to be the only ones at the site apart from the langurs (large monkeys with black faces). If you are looking for 'time out' -- be it for meditation, introspection or quietude, I suggest you pack whatever you might need and set out early in case throngs of tourists set in (it just took me a minute at Sanchi to get the glow I have in the pic!).

Sanchi is a good place to stop and take in some Buddhist architecture, a break from the Hindu and Muslim architecture so predominant in North India.

This was my second visit to Sanchi and I still really like the place. There is something quite and serene about the setting and although it is not a huge archaeological site, the stupas are very pretty with intricate carvings of episodes from the Jataka Tales, a collection of Buddhist parables.

The monkeys also put on quite a show, running around the place and clambering all over the monuments (chuckle... and some rare very species of monkeys can be seen with their books. Check out the pic on the left!)

Accommodation at Sanchi

There were no air conditioned rooms in Sanchi.

We stayed at the MP Tourism's traveller's lodge (07482-62723). They had regular and luxury rooms at Rs 350 and Rs 450, the luxury rooms being carpeted and possessing larger bathrooms.
Rooms: very basic, reasonably shabby (but bearable).
Room 1 is the best (has a TV). Water coolers can be arranged for a surcharge of Rs 50. Plenty of mosquitoes and other unknown insects.
We shared our room with a large but benign frog.
The cook makes decent omelettes for breakfast. The lodge is a three minute drive from the stupas.

Other places to stay:

Tourist Cafeteria: Call 07482-62743. Rooms with baths at Rs 200/290.

Sri Lankan Mahabodhi Guest House: Call 07482-62739
Jaiswal Lodge: Call 07482-63908.

Eating/Drinking
One can eat at the restaurants in the hotels.
However if you are in the mood for something different amble on down to the market at the foot of the stupas... we were offered a home cooked meal at the telephone booth.

Coming up: Khajuraho

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