Question

Read Section (“A Glimpse of Sanchi”) again. Give your reasons why Sanchi survived.

Answer 1

Based on Section (“A Glimpse of Sanchi”), the Great Stupa at Sanchi survived primarily due to the following reasons:

• Patronage of Bhopal’s Rulers: Shahjehan Begum and her successor, Sultan Jehan Begum, provided timely financial grants to preserve the ancient monument.
• Funding Infrastructure: The Begums funded the building of an on-site museum and a guesthouse where scholars like John Marshall could live and work.
• Sponsoring Publications: Sultan Jehan Begum financed the printing of foundational research volumes that highlighted Sanchi’s international historical value.
• Smart Diplomacy with Plaster Castes: The rulers cleverly gave high-quality plaster replicas of the eastern gateway to French and British collectors, preventing the original stone gates from being dismantled and taken to Europe.
• Escaping Material Plunder: Sanchi stood far from the reach of 19th-century railway contractors and local landlords, who systematically destroyed other sites like Amaravati to harvest bricks and stone ballast.