Sonari - A Forgotten Heritage

“Welcome to Buddhist Monuments Sonari” these words on a signboard always attracted me whenever I traveled on Bhopal-Vidisha highway. I had noticed it for the first time a couple of years ago, and was determined to visit it sometime for sure. Getting information about it turned out to be the most difficult thing, for nothing was given on internet and none of the people I met had heard about it!

I surveyed Google Maps and found few circular structures, possibly stupas located deep inside the forest. The only way to visit the place from Salamatpur was on foot. 

Once a travel-enthusiast friend of mine visited me and I found it as a golden opportunity to visit the place. We drove on Bhopal-Vidisha highway towards Salamatpur village where I had seen the signboard. After driving for an hour, we reached there.

Salamatpur is a village located on Bhopal-Vidisha highway, 40 km from our city Bhopal. It is well connected by roads and has a small railway station too. It is located just 8 km away from Sanchi- a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

We parked our bike at a restaurant and decided to trek to the Stupas. We enquired about the path from the group of old men which they told very enthusiastically.

The stupas were a 5 kilometer walk – over two hills and across a stream. 

Phew…

We started walking on the trail as described by the local people. There was a gradual uphill and a thin trail walked across the dense shrubbery. We had walked approx 4 kilometers and were in the middle of nowhere- the traces of the stupas were unknown. We couldn’t find any person to tell us the path, so decided to continue moving on the same trail. 

One sharp turn of the trail, and we were astonished to see the view in our front- the majestic stupas of Sonari, and this resulted in loss of tiredness and increase of our pace. We crossed the stream and climbed up the second hill of the stupas.

When we reached the place, there was wilderness all around. There was thick growth of vegetation and wild long grass. A large stupa stood in our front with few more stupas peeping from its back.

There are total 4 stupas and a monastery at Sonari. Of the stupas, two are of comparatively large size resembling the world famous stupas of Sanchi. We couldn’t find any person throughout the complex to get the detailed information of the place, but walking in the place, it was evident that some restoration work was under progress. A small board outside the complex revealed that these monuments are protected by ASI and restoration work has been carried on by them.

These stupas date back to 2^nd century B.C., contemporary to the stupas of Sanchi and I guess are of those 75000 stupas built by Emperor Ashoka. The Stupas are surrounded by enclosures, and traces of railings with beautiful carvings have been found. The ASI board also stated that both the larger stupas yielded reliquaries made of steatite and rock crystal in which the relics of Buddha were being placed.

The stupas are well preserved, but a lot has to be done to this place. There is unending forest on both side of the place and the landscape looks completely untouched by any human presence, not even small huts at the distance. Would it have looked just the same 2000 years back when the Buddha’s followers trod over the same hills to reach the stupas? Or would there have been cart tracks, and footprints and frequent human settlements?

Puzzled with these questions, we decided to move back. I started to think, if these monuments are restored in their original form, or an approach road been built, it will definitely attract tourists and pilgrims visiting Sanchi. There is a huge potential of this place to be turned into a popular tourist spot. After all, these monuments age back to two thousand years and are of the time when civilization was unknown to most parts of the world.