Chaukhandi Stupa is a Buddhist stupa in Sarnath located 8 kilometres from Cantt Railway Station in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. Stupas have evolved from burial mounds and serve as a shrine for a relic of the Buddha.[1] The site was declared to be a monument of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India in June 2019. [2]
| Chaukhandi Stupa | |
|---|---|
 Chaukhandi Stupa | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Buddhism |
| Status | Preserved |
| Location | |
| Location |  Sarnath, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh |
| State | Uttar Pradesh |
  Shown within India | |
| Geographic coordinates | 25°22′27″N 83°01′25″E / 25.374102°N 83.023658°E |
History
The Chaukhandi Stupa is thought originally to have been built as a terraced temple during the 7th and 8th centuries to mark the site where Buddha and his first disciples met traveling from Bodh Gaya to Sarnath. Later Govardhan, the son of a Raja Todar Mal, modified the stupa to its present shape by building the octagonal tower to commemorate the visit of Humayun, the Mughal ruler.[3]
Today the stupa is a high earthen mound covered with a brickwork edifice topped by an octagonal tower. It is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India.
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