Sanchi

UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES OF INDIA SERIES Children’s Books

Sanchi Where Tigers Fly and Lions Have Horns Author Sohail Hashmi Artist Pervez Rajan

About UNESCO World Heritage Sites of India Children, look around you. Our world is beautiful, with snowy mountain peaks and sparkling rivers, home to many peoples, animals, birds and trees. There are also mighty monuments built by our forefathers which have stood fast for centuries, enriching our lives and history.

This book belongs to: ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ......

These precious monuments and natural landscapes must be protected. That is why governments and institutions like the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) work together to help keep them safe.

UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites are places around the world that are remarkable examples of natural or man-made landscapes and architecture. As of 2018, there are 37 such celebrated sites in India. We need to take care of these sites and protect them.

For the first time, Mapin Publishing is producing a series of children’s books about UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites in India. We hope that the books will make these places seem like old friends, waiting to meet you again. So, young reader, let us begin our exciting journey across India!

Eric Falt Director and UNESCO Representative UNESCO New Delhi

The Buddha himself did not travel beyond north India, but his disciples spread his teachings far and wide, in south Asia and beyond the seas and the Himalayas. A typical Buddhist structure is a stupa, enclosing relics of Buddhist saints. On the hill of Sanchi, in modern Madhya Pradesh, stupas and monasteries were built from the 3rd century BCE. Stupa 1, described in this book, began as a small brick structure which was later enclosed in a larger one. Much later, in the 5th century CE, statues of Buddha were added at the site.

UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES OF INDIA SERIES Children’s Books

Sanchi

Where Tigers Fly and Lions Have Horns

Author Sohail Hashmi Artist Pervez Rajan

MAPIN PUBLISHING

Preparations began early for a trip to Sanchi with kids from two primary schools in Bhopal.

A clear blue sky, a mild sun and a pleasant breeze greeted us as we gathered at Gandhi Bhawan. Bhopal was still half asleep when we hopped into our cars and set off on the 48–kilometre drive to Sanchi at seven in the morning.

All the ten children (between 8 and 13 years of age) were excited to be travelling out so early. We were accompanied by Anupama Didi, Priya Didi and Mohsin Bhaiya.

Four of the kids had been to Sanchi when they were ‘very young’ and had half–forgotten what they had seen, while the others did not know what they were going to see. The joy of going to a new place filled the kids with excitement, which turned into fist–pumping and high–fives when they learnt that there was a mid–way stop for muffins, biscuits and fruit juice.

Everybody was happy but for little Amulya. The poor kid had motion sickness, so we stopped several times. By the time she learnt that she wouldn’t feel so bad if she sat in the middle and looked straight ahead, we had already reached Sanchi! Don’t feel terribly sorry for her, though; she ate heartily after the walk, and she was fine during the return journey.

The kids were busy finishing their cream–filled biscuits and mango juice when Stupa No. 2 came into view and then slipped out of sight. A little later we entered Sanchi town, and the Great Stupa became visible as we drove past the MP Tourism Resort.

The entire lot was very happy to learn that children have free entry. We drove up the steep kilometre–long path to the gate, although visitors can also walk up.

to Buddha or his great disciples. It is like a halved ball, but unlike a ball, it is

Once we passed through the metal

not hollow. The outside is covered with

detector, the stone path took us to the

bricks or stone slabs.

North Gate of the Stupa.

4

What is a stupa? A stupa is a memorial

Torana

Chhattra Harmika Stupa

Parikrama

Torana

Torana

Stairs

5

The Stupa as seen by an eagle

North

East West

The first entry to be built was the South Gate. That the main entry to the Stupa is from the south reminds us that placing

The Great Stupa plays tricks—it seemed to get higher with every step we took! It was twice as high as the gates—16.46 metres. It was so big that to match its circumference twenty-seven 10–year old children would have to lie down in a circle.

South

the dead body with its feet to the south, and going to burial sites from the south is common to many religions. Do these practices have something to do with the magnetic north?

From a distance, the torana s or gates looked as high as the Stupa, but in fact, they were around 8.5 metres tall, or almost the combined height of six 10–year–old children.

7

The gates looked very simple when seen in outline from the road. But when we got closer, we saw that they were crowded with sculptures that seemed almost alive! Sculptures that were above the children’s height had to be pointed out by the adults.

The children were not only different ages and heights but they also had different personalities, and this came out in the things that they noticed.

They saw things at their eye level and the adults at theirs and so sometimes Sohail would be talking about a carved lion or a buffalo while the children were peering at a lizard crawling below the fence!

8

First published in India in 2018 by

Text and Illustrations ©

Author: Sohail Hashmi loves travelling with family, friends

Mapin Publishing

and a camera to explore little–known places across India.

706 Kaivanna, Panchvati, Ellisbridge

All rights reserved under international

He started the “Delhi Heritage Walks with Sohail Hashmi”

Ahmedabad 380006 INDIA

copyright conventions. No part of this

in 2005 to introduce children, and now adults too, to the

T: +91 79 40 228 228

book may be reproduced or transmitted

F: +91 79 40 228 201

in any form or by any means, electronic

wonderful history and heritage of the city. He also makes

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or mechanical, including photocopy,

www.mapinpub.com

recording or any other information

Mapin Publishing Pvt. Ltd

International Distribution Worldwide (except North America and South Asia) Prestel Publishing Ltd.

films to help people learn more about India’s culture. He enjoyed writing this book because Sanchi is one of his

storage and retrieval system, without

favourite destinations, with its beautiful, 2000–year old

prior permission in writing from the

carvings and long history.

publisher.

The moral rights of the author and

Artist: Pervez Rajan is an artist who has worked in

14-17 Wells Street

illustrator of this work are asserted.

London W1T 3PD

ISBN: 978-93-85360-52-7

he also loves to travel and explore new places! He once

Series ISBN: 978-93-85360-47-3

illustrated the many monuments of Anegundi, near Hampi

Series Editor: Narayani Gupta

in Karnataka, to help tourists appreciate the beauty of

Copyediting: Mithila Rangarajan / Mapin

the place. He is fascinated by details of architecture and

T: +44 (0)20 7323 5004 F: +44 (0)20 7323 0271 E: sales@prestel-uk.co.uk North America Antique Collectors’ Club T: +1 800 252 5231 F: +1 413 529 0862 E: sales@accpublishinggroup.com www.accpublishinggroup.com/us South Asia Mapin Publishing Pvt. Ltd

Editorial Design and Production: Gopal Limbad, Darshit Mori / Mapin Design Studio Printed in India The creation of this book was supported

by Parag, an initiative of TATA Trusts.

Editorial Board: Krishna Kumar Girish Joshi Swaha Sahoo Sopan Joshi Narayani Gupta

many cities across India. This is lucky for him, because

carvings, and so depicting the many features of Sanchi was a pleasurable task for him. He hopes to continue to use his art to communicate with a wide range of people.

UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES OF INDIA

1 Agra Fort 2 Ajanta Caves 3 The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, Chandigarh 4 Bhimbetka Rock Shelters

jammu & kashmir

5 Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi 6 Champaner–Pavagadh Archaeological Park 7 Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus

himachal pradesh

13

H

(formerly Victoria Terminus)

26

8 Chola Temples

28

I

3

punjab

9 Churches and Convents of Goa

uttarakhand

10 Elephanta Caves

M

haryana

11 Ellora Caves

17 30 32

12 Fatehpur Sikri 13 Great Himalayan National Park

18

Conservation Area

20

15

15

14 Hampi Group of Monuments

rajasthan

15 Hill Forts of Rajasthan

15

16 Historic City of Ahmadabad 17 Humayun’s Tomb and Group of Monuments, Delhi

i

19 Kaziranga National Park 20 Keoladeo National Park

gujarat

16

26

5

24

d

meghalaya

west bengal

a

tripura mizoram

34

chhattisgarh

21 Khajuraho Group of Monuments

orissa

2

22 Kanchenjunga National Park

33

11

23 Mahabalipuram Group of Monuments 24 Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya

maharashtra

36 7 10

25 Manas Wildlife Sanctuary 26 Mountain Railways of India

telangana

27 Nalanda Mahavihara (Nalanda University), Bihar

and

37

28 Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks

9

14

goa

30 Qutb Minar and its Monuments, Delhi

33 Sun Temple, Konark

23 tamil nadu

p

37 37 37 37

8

ds

ee

8 Natural Sites 29 Cultural Sites

26

an

dw

37 Western Ghats

kerala

ha

36 Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai

37

ks

35 Taj Mahal

isl

la

37

ar

34 Sundarbans National Park

The names of places and cities often change over time. Mumbai used to be known as “Bombay” and Kolkata as “Calcutta.”

Chennai was earlier known as “Madras.”

Other sites are better known by names which may not be their official name— Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary is popularly called “Bharatpur” and Mahabalipuram is called “Mamallapuram.”

nicob

37

32 Red Fort Complex

and

karnataka

31 Rani ki Vav, Patan

General note about change of names of cities and sites

andhra pradesh

aman

29

29 Pattadakal Group of Monuments

nagaland

manipur

i

madhya pradesh

19

27

jharkhand

4

25 assam

uttar pradesh

21

S

Y 22s i k k i A m

A

35

15

n

6

12

L

bihar

31

18 Jantar Mantar, Jaipur

1

15

15

arunachal pradesh

A

UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES OF INDIA SERIES Children’s Books

Series Editor: Narayani Gupta

The Roshni World Heritage Sites of India series aims to introduce India’s young readers to the richness of our natural and cultural heritage through UNESCO-designated World Heritage Sites. Produced in association with Tata Trusts and with the blessings of UNESCO, these books offer children five exciting stories, authored by renowned historians and conservationists and beautifully illustrated by accomplished artists.

Qutb Minar Head in the Clouds

Mahabalipuram

Story by Narayani Gupta • Illustrations by Shashi Shetye

The Ganga Comes to Tamil Nadu

On Christmas Day, a group of six children visit the Qutb Minar in Delhi. What follows is a process of discovery as the children stumble upon an unfinished Minar and a carved cupola and marvel at the skill of the craftsmen who built the Qutb.

Story by Nanditha Krishna • Illustrations by Y. Venkatesh

The children in the story explore the Descent of the Ganges, with its carvings of animals, humans and celestial beings. Temples, tigers and tsunamis all feature in this tale of the Mahabalipuram complex by the sea, lost and then miraculously found again.

Nanditha Krishna is a historian and conservationist from Chennai who has authored several books about art, religion and the environment. Y. Venkatesh is an artist who has illustrated several activity books for children about nature, art and culture.

Narayani Gupta is a historian and writer who has taught history at Indraprastha College for Women; she joined Jamia Millia Islamia University in 1986. Shashi Shetye has illustrated books for children for over two decades.

Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary The Kingdom of Birds

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Travelling through Time Story by Subuhi Jiwani • Illustrations by Kishan Dev

Bandu is the devoted clock-keeper at CSM Terminus in Mumbai, or VT as some people still call it. One busy day, Bandu and two friends tumble through time to the past and future, accompanied by a talking griffin, freedom fighters and flying cars.

Subuhi Jiwani is an independent researcher, writer and filmmaker based in Mumbai. Kishan Dev is an artist who has worked in print publishing and Bollywood.

Story by Dr. Erach Bharucha • Illustrations by Maya Ramaswamy

A large group of school children join Dr. Erach “Doc” Bharucha at the Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary in Bharatpur. Amid lush vegetation and a lively orchestra of birds, the natural landscape of the sanctuary comes alive for these young, intrepid explorers.

Dr. Erach Bharucha is a surgeon based in Pune and has been active in ecological conservation for several decades. Maya Ramaswamy is an illustrator who has

worked on several children’s books about wildlife and conservation.

Sanchi Where Tigers Fly and Lions Have Horns

supported by

E: THIS SERIES AR ALL TITLES IN s, stration 32 pages with illu scape, pb x 210 mm) Land 97 (2 6" 8.2 x 11.69 sh and Tamil in Available in Engli ditional regional Ad .

18 20 er ob Oct in 2019. w llo fo to es languag 195 | $9.50 | £5.99 Fall 2018 |

Story by Sohail Hashmi • Illustrations by Pervez Rajan

One morning as the city of Bhopal sleeps, a group of children join Sohail Hashmi to visit the stupas of Sanchi. Spellbound by the carvings on the gateways and pillars, they learn about the ancient history of Buddhism in India.

Sohail Hashmi is a writer, historian and filmmaker, who loves travelling to little-known places across India. Pervez Rajan is an artist who hopes to use his art to communicate with a wide range of people.

“The gentle, smooth colour palette,

and the use of detailing make [the pictures] interesting to look at. The framework...is very natural and believable... little touches tap into the feeling of excitement and wonder that being at a historical site can evoke.”

“The production values are high. The author has a connect with children and he brings out his observations gently. That he is good with words and enjoys what he is doing is apparent.”

—Teacher Plus Magazine, on Sanchi: Where Tigers Fly and Lions have Horns

—Goodbooks.in

“.. groundbreaking...”

—Eric Falt, Director General, UNESCO New Delhi

“.. beautifully written... Launching this series is a good attempt at making information about historical sites accessible to children.”

—Jaya Bhattacharji Rose

Children’s Books

UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES OF INDIA SERIES

SUPPORTED BY

ISBN 978-93-85360-52-7

www.mapinpub.com