Visit to Sankisa in Farrukhabad, Uttar Pradesh, India

The famous Elephant capital of Ashokan Pillar

  

When I had a chance to visit Farrukhabad recently, I hardly imagined that I am heading for a place that could hold historical significance. If you love visiting historical sites in your quest to know about ancient times, Sankisa could be a place worth trying. Sankisa is in Farrukhabad district of Uttar Pradesh in Northern India and is famous as an ancient Buddhist site. It’s a pilgrimage place for Buddhist people.

The ancient Sankisa site

District border near the site           

It was about 11:00 AM of a day in March when you don’t expect much heat in northern India but the experience told otherwise. The journey from Fatehgarh Railway Station to Sankisa took about an hour. It was a single road, nevertheless motorable. Exactly at the boundary of Farrukhabad and Mainpuri districts, we saw a board of Archeological Survey of India welcoming us to the historical monuments of Sankisa.

When we entered the gates, the place looked rather barren but the famous elephant capital of Ashokan pillar could not be missed. This is about 2300 years old and one of the seven surviving capitals of Ashokan pillars built by Mauryan king Ashoka. This is the only capital with an elephant. One is with the Bull and the rest five are with lions, the most famous of which is the lion capital of Sarnath near Varanasi that has been adopted by Indian government as its national emblem. Here, the pillar is missing and only the animal capital remains that has been preserved. Even the trunk of the elephant is also missing. These capitals are one of the earliest known stone sculptures in India and one wonders at the level of expertise reached in those times especially when one looks at the delicate carvings on the frieze on which the elephant stays.

Just near to this architecture, there is a mound which is said to be the ancient stupa built by Ashoka. It is believed by Buddhists that Lord Buddha returned to earth from heaven at this place and it is considered a pilgrimage site for the followers of Buddhism. So, this place has both archaeological as well as religious significance. There is a temple of Bisari devi and of Hindu god Hanuman at the top of the mound. The mound looks unexcavated but one can spot the old brick structures hidden under the mound.

Small Buddha Temple near Elephant Capital

A permanent tent kind of structure nearby surprised me. Further enquiry revealed that it was occupied by the personnel from state police as this place was a disputed sight between Hindus and Buddhists, both of whom claimed it to be their religious site. The disputed nature of the site probably explains the not so well maintained condition of the site though it is such an important place of historical significance.

Nevertheless, it is an important pilgrimage for Buddhism and while we were there, there was a group of Chinese pilgrims that were visiting the site. Along with the elephant capital, there is a small temple of Buddha.

Cambodian Temple

Few hundred meters away from this site towards Mainpuri, there is a beautiful Buddha temple and residential complex made by Cambodians. Burmese have also built a temple and residential complex for the pilgrims that come from their country which is also nearby. These have been built with characteristic wat architecture which can be seen in the temples of East Asian countries like Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia etc. There is abundant use of gold and red colour and it’s a layered architecture.

In a similar way, a temple and a complex is also being built by Sri Lankans which is a few hundred meters away from the site towards Farrukhabad to cater to the needs of the visiting pilgrims from that country. All these places are by themselves a site to visit. They are very neat and clean, serene and calm places.

Myanmar Temple

One cannot miss the replica of the elephant capital along with the full pillar in full glory that is just across the road in front of the Cambodian Temple. This replica has been recently built and gives an idea about the original Ashokan pillar that would have existed in earlier times.

 

Replica of Ashokan Pillar near the site

The whole trip took about three hours. By 2 PM we were heading back towards Farrukhabad. I was told that there is a temple and complex constructed by Japanese also. The original site protected by Archaeological Survey of India could be better maintained. To my surprise, there was no information board anywhere giving the visitor information about the historical significance of the monuments and the unexcavated Stupa. It would serve a good deal of purpose if this is done. The site holds a great tourist potential but it has not been exploited. It needs to be made more popular and developed from tourism point of view.