Here's the upper torana (arch) of the eastern gateway.  When Sanchi was built the Buddha was not pictured in a human form, since with enlightenment he was believed to have transcended all limitations.  Instead, his presence was depicted by symbols standing for the four great events in his life: a lotus or elephant for his birth, a tree and a throne for his enlightenment, a wheel for his first teaching (the Four Noble Truths), and a stupa for his bodily demise.  In other cases (see below) he is represented by a pair of footprints. 

This carving shows the seven past Buddhas, represented symbolically by two trees and five stupas.  All Buddhists believe that there have been Buddhas before Siddhartha Gautama (although they appear only rarely on the earth), and that the future Buddha, Maitreya, is even now working towards Buddhahood.  Past Buddhas are important because a future Buddha's vow to attain enlightenment must be confirmed by a living Buddha, who validates his vows.  The Theravada and the Mahayana disagree on whether there can be more than one Buddha at a time-the Theravadins deny this, and the Mahayana affirm it.

Middle arch of the eastern gateway exterior. This panel depicts the Future Buddha's Great Departure--when he renounced his royal status and became a homeless wanderer searching for supreme enlightenment. 

The story is told sequentially from left to right: at far left is the town of Kapilavastu, with houses and residents.  The Buddha (symbolized by the tree in the middle) left his home on a horse named Kanthaka (which is also covered by the royal umbrella, indicating the Buddha's presence).  In the center panels the gods are holding the horse off the ground, muffling its hooves to keep from rousing the Buddha's family (and frustrating his desire to go).  At far right the horse is being led back toward the town, with a kneeling worshipper venerating the pair of footprints that were another symbol of the Buddha. 

The bottom torana of the eastern gateway depicts the emperor Ashoka visiting the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, the site of the Buddha's enlightenment.  Ashoka's piety is shown not only by his visits to these sites, but also his patronage in establishing sites such as Sanchi.  Such public piety was also good a public relations move, since they depicted Ashoka as a righteous king, but other evidence clearly shows that at a personal level Ashoka was a pious Buddhist. 

Here the tree (symbol for the Buddha) is in the center, and around it stand Ashoka and his court making appropriate reverential gestures.  One of Ashoka's wives was from Vidisha--which is only 6 miles from Sanchi, so he had strong connections to the region, and good reasons to spread patronage there. 

On to the next Page-East Gate, Interior

Introduction

East Gate:  Exterior / Interior    West Gate: Exterior / Interior

South Gate: Exterior / Interior   North Gate: Exterior / Interior

Final Shots