Pillar 10

Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh


Of the scattered pillar remains, the most important is Pillar 10, erected by Ashoka but later broken. Two upper sections of this beautifully proportioned and executed shaft lie behind the Great Stupa; its capital (sculpted head) is in the Archaeological Museum.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh attractions

1. Southern Gateway

0.01 MILES

The back-to-back lions on the pillars of the monuments compound's Southern Gateway (the oldest) were a favourite Ashokan motif and now form the state…

2. Eastern Gateway

0.01 MILES

The breathtakingly carved figure of a yakshi (mythical fairylike beings), hanging from an architrave on the Eastern Gateway, is one of Sanchi’s best-known…

3. Great Stupa

0.02 MILES

Beautifully proportioned, the Great Stupa is the centrepiece of the monumental area, directly ahead as you enter the complex from the north. Originally…

4. Temple 17

0.02 MILES

Like its larger neighbour Temple 18, the Gupta-period Temple 17 bears a resemblance to classical Greek buildings. The columns on its porch are topped by…

5. Western Gateway

0.03 MILES

Pot-bellied dwarves support the architraves of the Western Gateway, which has some of the site’s most interesting scenes. The back of the bottom…

6. Northern Gateway

0.03 MILES

The Northern Gateway, topped by a broken wheel of law, is the best preserved of the toranas. Elephants support the architraves above the columns, while…

7. Temple 18

0.03 MILES

Temple 18 is a chaitya (prayer room or assembly hall) similar in appearance to classical Greek columned buildings. It dates from around the 7th century AD…

8. Pillar 35

0.03 MILES

Pillar 35 (northwest of the Great Stupa) dates from the 5th century AD. Its capital, with a figure of the Bodhisattva Vajrapani, is in the Archaeological…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "india/madhya-pradesh-and-chhattisgarh/sanchi/attractions/pillar-10/a/poi-sig/1321664/356363",
      "destination": "Madhya-Pradesh-&-Chhattisgarh",
      "continent": "Asia",
      "country": "India",
      "region": "Madhya-Pradesh-&-Chhattisgarh",
      "position": "superzone"
    }