Ancient · Buddhist · India

Relic Stupa and Ashokan Pillar, Vaishali

Vaishali, Bihar · 25.9864°, 85.1269°

Buddha (relic stupa)Licchavi; Mauryan (Ashoka)Brick stupa; polished sandstone pillar with lion capitalBuddhist circuit

Sacred since

500 BCE

first attestation / structure

Standing structure

c. 5th–3rd c. BCE

Licchavi; Mauryan (Ashoka)

History & significance

At Vaishali the Licchavis enshrined one of the eight shares of the Buddha's relics in a brick stupa, among the earliest archaeologically known; nearby at Kolhua stands one of the best-preserved Ashokan pillars, 11 m tall and topped by a single lion.

Sthala katha — the legend

Tradition says the Buddha gave the Licchavis his alms bowl here and conjured the illusion of a river in spate to turn them back.

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Sources

Wikipedia

coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-27 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Licchavi; Mauryan (Ashoka)