Best time of the year and time of the day to visit:
- Months : Nov – March
- Time of the day : Anytime avoiding late morning to late noon. Dawn
- would be the best.
Suggested amount of time to spend:
- Number of hours 2-3
What not to miss:
- Take the Audio Tour, FOR SURE!
Cloak Room Availability:
- Official cloak room : Dont know about availability.
- Jugaad to stow luggage : Once you have your chow, try leaving your luggage at the counter of the Madhya Pradesh Tourism hotel/restaurant a few buildings before the ticket counter. Their food is fresh, simple and clean.
Guide / Audio Guide:
- Official Guides: Yes, Available.
- Audio Guide: YES!
Getting There:
Onward from Bhopal:
Bus:
- A rickety 1-1/2 to 2 hour bus ride from the shabby city bus station
- State owned long distance transport doesnt exist in Madhya Pradesh
- You are at the mercy of unpredictable, over packed rickety buses
Train:
Nothing like it if you can plan to get here from Bhopal on a train, it is going to be a nice journey and you can get off the train and walk for 10 minutes and get straight to the Stupas.
Return to Bhopal:
Bus:
The same rickety ride back.
Train:
There is a return train back to Bhopal at around 4Pm that you can take.
Moving Around:
Walk
The place is REALLY small; there is primarily just one main road and the road to the stupa. You can really walk around.
Restaurants:
Must try food:
Dal Tadka, it is by far the best I have ever eaten.
Must try places to eat:
MP Tourism hotel on the strip leading to the Stupas.
Verdict:
Simple is sophisticated enough:
Sanchis significance is not about the art or the artist, it is about the significance of the undeniably straight forward, universally applicable, simple, profound facts that form the base of the Buddhist way of life.
Being at sanchi made me think of how well we all can live & let live and grow together as humanity yet retain and respect each of our
idiosyncratic ways of life.
