Chaukhandi Stupa – Varanasi, India - Atlas Obscura
Places near me Random place

AO Edited

Chaukhandi Stupa

Varanasi, India

The octagonal tower at this important Buddhist site was added many years after the temple's initial construction. 

View all photos
Chaukhandi Stupa Getty Images / UniversalImagesGroup
Chaukhandi Stupa Getty Images / UniversalImagesGroup
Chaukhandi Stupa Getty Images / Raquel Maria Carbonell Pagola
Plinths at the Chaukhandi Stupa David Castor/Public Domain
Plinths at the Chaukhandi Stupa David Castor/Public Domain
Chaukhandi Stupa Getty Images / IndiaPictures
34
43
Top Places in Varanasi
Hindu burning ghats along the banks of the sacred Ganges River in Varanasi.
Cremation Ghats of Varanasi
Varanasi, India
Ratneshwar Mahadev Temple
Varanasi, India
Dhamek Stupa
Varanasi, India
 See All

The Chaukhandi Stupa was built in the fifth century. The structure stands atop a rectangular plinth, and is capped by an octagonal Mughal tower that was added more than a thousand years after the stupa was originally built.

Like the other stupas in Sarnath, the Chaukhandi Stupa is thought to house a relic of the Buddha. Its unique octagonal tower is a later addition, commissioned in the late 16th century by Emperor Akbar in memory of his father Humayun. This stupa is located south of the main Sarnath Buddhist Complex.

The stupa that stands today is believed to have evolved from a centuries-old burial mound. The site is said to be where Buddha met the five disciplines who would later follow him to the site of his first sermon, marked by Dhamekh Stupa.

Atlas Obscura Trips

Delhi and Rajasthan: Colors of India

Discover Colorful Rajasthan: From Delhi to Jaipur and Beyond.
Book Now
stupas buddhism temples
Nearby
Dhamek Stupa
0.42 miles
Ratneshwar Mahadev Temple
4.35 miles
Cremation Ghats of Varanasi
4.41 miles
Want to see fewer ads? Become a Member.
Near This Place
Varanasi, India

Dhamek Stupa

A bulky, ancient stupa marks the site of Siddhartha Gautama's seminal Buddhist teaching.
Ratneshwar Mahadev Temple
Varanasi, India

Ratneshwar Mahadev Temple

Known as the leaning temple, the sacred structure has somehow developed a severe nine-degree slant.
Hindu burning ghats along the banks of the sacred Ganges River in Varanasi.
Varanasi, India

Cremation Ghats of Varanasi

Many Hindus make the long pilgrimage to this holy city to have their remains burned on the banks of the Ganges River.
Crowded pontoon bridges during the Kumbh Mela
Allahabad, India

The Triveni Sangam

The world's largest human gathering is held at the confluence of three sacred rivers, one of which is mythical.
Related Places
The ruins of the Zamskhang palace.
Tegar, India

Zamskhang Palace Ruins

This abandoned palace and the stupas around it conceal beautiful Buddhist frescoes, statues, and silk paintings.
Taxila ruins
Wah, Pakistan

Ancient City of Taxila

A mere stone's throw from Islamabad exists a spectacular display of three millennia of humanity's progress.
Kamakura, Japan

Hansobo Shrine

A mountaintop shrine-temple guarded by a horde of half-demon priests.
Kamakura, Japan

Muryōju-in Temple Site

Home to 800-year-old zen basin, a 400-year-old pilgrim’s path, and a century-old industrial grotto.
In partnership with KAYAK

Plan Your Trip

From Around the Web