Constructed in 35 BC, the four gateways in Sanchi portray important incidents in the life of Buddha. Popularly called as toranas these gateways are named as eastern, western, southern and northern. Elephants facing four directions support the architraves of this gate.
The Eastern gate tells us about the voyage of Buddha from his royal palace to the path of enlightenment. Here Buddha is shown as a horse rider. Dream of Maya, Buddha’s mother during her pregnancy is also found a place in this gate. The Western gate depicts the seven manifestation of Buddha. The Northern Gateway is characterized by a wheel-of-law, which portrays the miracles linked with Buddha. Exceedingly embellished carvings of the Southern gateway try to illustrate the birth of Gautama.