Sanchi is known for the Buddhist stupas or cenotaphs, monasteries, temples and pillars, dating from the 3rd century BC to the 12th century AD, lying scattered atop a hill overlooking the ancient town of Vidisha. The most famous of these monuments, the Sanchi Stupa 1, was originally built by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka, the then governor of Ujjayini, whose wife Devi was the daughter of a merchant from adjacent Vidisha.

A Chunar sandstone pillar fragment, shining with the proverbial Mauryan polish, lies near Stupa I and carries the famous edict of Ashoka warning against schism in the Buddhist community. The Sanchi hill goes up in shelves with Stupa 2 situated on a lower shelf, while Stupa 1, Stupa 3, the 5th century Gupta Temple No.17 and the 7th century temple No. 18 are on the intermediate shelf and a later monastery is on the crowning shelf. The balustrade surrounding Stupa 2, carved with iconic representations of the Buddha, was added in the late 2nd century BC under the rule of the Satavahanas.