Nalanda: Where civilizations mingled

The main Stupa at Nalanda, also known as the Sariputra Stupa, is the most iconic of the surviving monuments at the Nalanda World Heritage Site. Built in the 3rd Century by Mauryan emperor Ashoka in the honour of Buddha’s follower Sariputra, the great Nalanda Stupa is shaped like a pyramid at the top.

The most striking of all the votive stupas is the fifth, which has been preserved well along with its corner towers.

Multiple flights of stairs surround the Stupa and lead all the way to its top. Beautiful sculptures and votive stupas flank the structure.

The top portion of the stupa features a shrine chamber that houses a pedestal, which must have been originally used to place a large statue of Lord Buddha.

These votive stupas have been built with bricks and passages from sacred Buddhist texts inscribed on them. It is believed that these stupas were constructed over the ashes of Lord Buddha.

These towers are adorned with exquisite panels of Gupta-era art that include stucco figures of Lord Buddha and scenes from the Jataka Tales.

Myanmar’s Gwe Bin Tet Kon stupa is said to be influenced by the Nalanda Stupa.

Surrounded by neatly manicured lawns, Temple 18 is a mound of neatly arranged bricks. A small entrance leads the way into the sanctum sanctorum. The temple is set amidst a serene and tranquil environment that adds to its charm.

The ruins of Sarai Temple, a multi-storey Buddhist shrine, lie in the excavated Sarai Mound. This temple complex is believed to have housed many stupas and temples at one time. The sanctum sanctorum of the temple reflects that once an 80-ft-high statue of Lord Buddha stood there.