The Sanchi Stupa stands somnolently surrounded by greenery, literally as a silent chronicle of the growth of Buddhism in India. Not far away the Sanchi Archaeological Museum weaves a fascinating story of the region through its rich collection of sculptures and other artefacts. The Sanchi Museum was established in 1919 by Sir John Marshall.

Sanchi Archaeological Museum – Where Sculptures Weave Stories

The ASI Sanch Museum is a treasure trove not to be missed by connoisseurs of history and archaeology. It houses a priceless collection of sculptures that span the Mauryan, Sunga, Satvahana, Kushan, Gupta, and Late Gupta periods. The time span covered is from 300 BCE to about 700 CE.

The collection at the Sanchi museum is predominantly from Sanchi and its surrounding areas like Vidisha, Gulgaon, Murelkhurd, and Gyaraspur.

The Exhibits of Sanchi Archaeological Museum

The Archaeological Museum Sanchi consists of a Main Hall and three subsidiary galleries. However, there are exhibits that are displayed along the Verandah as well as the open courtyards. Visiting the Sanchi museum is like taking a walk back in history right up to the year 300 BCE.

Sanchi Archaeological Museum – Main Hall

The Main Hall of the ASI Museum Sanchi houses exhibits that can be broadly divided into six categories based on the cultural periods to which they belong. The artefacts in the Main Hall of the Archaeological Museum in Sanchi are from the Mauryan Period, The Sunga Period, the Satvahana Period, the Kushana Period, the Gupta Period, and the late Gupta period.

Important Exhibits In The Main Hall – Sanchi Archaeological Museum

• Bodhisattva Vajrapani is a massive sculpture of Vajrapani who is one of the earliest Bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhism, the sculpture though is broken at the thighs and the arms, but can be seen in a standing posture
• A Lion Capital dating back to the 3rd Century BCE awes visitors with its impressive appearance, the Lion Capital is a hallmark of Mauryan architecture and consists of four lions standing back to back
• Bodhisattva Padmapani comes to life in another impressive sculpture where he can be seen holding a lotus in one hand, standing perfectly balanced in the Sama Bhanga posture
• A Seated Buddha sculpture deep in meditation, his face radiating serenity can be seen at the Main Hall, the Buddha has a rounded face with curly hair and the hint of a smile on his lips
• The sculpture of a Yakshi in a Tribhanga posture mesmerizes visitors with its beautifully balanced and fluid-structure, the sculpture dates back to the Satavahana Period
• Nagaraja or Serpent King can be seen in the form of a human in a sculpture that belongs to the Post Gupta period, the human figure of the serpent king is covered by snake hood, only five snake heads have survived the vagaries of time and nature

Archaeological Museum Sanchi – Galleries

The Gallery-1 of the Sanchi Museum showcases Buddhist sculptures from the late medieval and also the Gupta periods. The second gallery houses mini sculptures from the 3rd Century BCE to the 12th Century AD as well as artifacts from the medieval period.

Important Exhibits In The Galleries – Archaeological Museum Sanchi

• Sthanaka Buddha is a massive Buddha sculpture that dates back to the Post Gupta period, Buddha is seen in a standing posture in this sculpture
• Seated Buddha is a sculpture from the Gupta Period, Buddha is seen seated on a Padma Pitha in a meditative posture
• Votive Stupa has a base with figures of Buddha in meditative posture in the cardinal directions, however, the sculpture has only three of the Buddha sculptures, while the fourth one is missing
• Sthanaka Vishnu is a mini-sculpture of the Hindu God Vishnu in a standing position, the sculpture dates back to the 10th or 11th Century AD
• Dancing Lady is the sculpture of a lady in dance pose accompanied by a drummer and a singer, the sculpture is believed to date back to the 10th or 11th Century AD

Archaeological Museum Sanchi – Quick Facts

Archaeological Museum Sanchi Address

The address of the Archaeological Museum Sanchi is; NH-86, Near Sanchi Stupa, District Raisen, Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh 464661.

Archaeological Museum Sanchi Timings

The Sanchi Museum is open from 9.00 AM to 5.00 PM on all days except Fridays when the museum is closed.

Archaeological Museum Sanchi Location

The Archaeological Museum Sanchi is at less than a kilometre distance from the famous UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Buddhist Monument at Sanchi (Sanchi Stupa).

How To Reach Archaeological Museum Sanchi 

• The Archaeological Museum of Sanchi is located in Sanchi in the Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh, India
• Sanchi is located at a distance of 49 kilometres from Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh, India
• The famous town of Khajuraho known for its beautiful temples is at a distance of about 324 kilometres from Sanchi

Reaching Sanchi By Air

The nearest airport to Sanchi is Bhopal’s Raja Bhoj Airport located at a distance of 55 kilometres. Bhopal is fairly well connected to cities across India by air. There are flights to and from places like Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, etc., at the Bhopal Airport.

Reaching Sanchi By Rail

There is a small railway station in Sanch which currently does not have many facilities. It is being developed for better services. The best option of your thinking of travelling by train is to travel to Bhopal by train and then proceed by road to Sanchi.

Reaching Sanchi By Road

Sanchi is well connected by road with major towns and cities of Madhya Pradesh and India. You can use Public Transport or hire a cab or do a road trip to Sanchi.

If you are planning a trip to Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh, India to see the famous Sanchi Stupa and the Sanchi Archaeological Museum, then you can very conveniently book a cheap flight right here through one of the options, TripAdvisor or CheapAir or Cleartrip or Makemytrip or Priceline right here. If you are planning to travel by road from Bhopal to Sanchi, some of the options are by self-drive car or cab or bus.

Where To Stay While Visiting The Sanchi Museum

There are many options for staying at Sanchi. We stayed at the MPT Gateway Retreat, a beautiful property owned and run by Madhya Pradesh Tourism. The property is located just off the main road and consists of comfortably appointed cottages set in the midst of a lovely garden. There is a swimming pool too along with a fitness centre. The property also served lovely, authentic, traditional food.

If you are looking to book a hotel in Sanchi or a resort in Sanchi or accommodation anywhere in Madhya Pradesh or India or the world,  you can do that right here. You can book Sanchi hotels through TripAdvisor or Cleartrip or Makemytrip or Priceline and save on your bookings by availing of discounts.

 Other Places To Visit Near Sanchi 

Madhya Pradesh is a veritable treasure trove of heritage. There are many attractions that one can enjoy when in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Here are some of the places that you should visit that are near Sanchi.

• Sanchi Stupa
• Udayagiri Caves
• Vidisha
• Bhopal

Madhya Pradesh is rich in heritage and also has many natural wonders that include Tiger Reserves like Kanha and Pench,  if you are trying to decide on what to see in MP or what to do in Madhya Pradesh, then look no further. Book online places to see in Madhya Pradesh and cover attractions in Bhopal and MP.

We hope you liked reading about the Sanchi Archaeological Museums. If you like museums and reading about them, as we do, then do check out some of the amazing and unique museums that we have visited and written about.

National Museum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Chanderi Archaeological Museum in Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh, India.

Tuol Sleng Museum in Pnom Penh, Cambodia

Mahatma Gandhi Museum, Rajkot, Gujarat, India.

Janapada Loka near Bangalore, Karnataka, India.

For more interesting travel stories, travel guides, travel tips, do not forget to subscribe to our blog and follow us on our social media channels.

Do You Love Traveling?

Do you want to know how to travel the world? We have put together a very useful travel resources page with the best travel tips. Go check it out now.

Thanks for visiting our site Voyager – imvoyager.com and taking the time to read this post!

If you wish to collaborate/work with us then reach us at [email protected]

We’d love it if you’d comment by sharing your thoughts on this post and share this post on social media and with your friends.
Follow our journey on our social media channels:
Facebook   Twitter   Instagram  Pinterest  YouTube

60+ Million Users Trust TripAdvisor With Their Travel Plans. Shouldn’t You?