2015•HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe)Open access
On the alignment of Sanchi monuments
Amelia Carolina Sparavigna
Open full text 4 citations
Abstract
Sanchi is a Buddhist religious center and a monumental archaeological site in India. The Sanchi monuments have interesting astronomical orientations, as shown by N. Kameswara Rao in [1]. Here, we will discuss in particular an alignment of stupas with the sunset direction on the summer solstice. Since Sanchi latitude is close to the Tropic of Cancer, we have also that, on this day, the noon altitude is about 90 degrees. Therefore, the alignment of stupas is also giving the sunset direction of the day of the zenithal sun. Such an alignment is also observed in the planning of Sigiriya complex in Sri Lanka. Keywords: Solar Orientation, Solstices, Architectural Planning, Satellite Images, Google Earth.