Sankisa, located in Farrukhabad district, Uttar Pradesh, is one of the eight sacred Buddhist pilgrimage sites. This sacred place symbolizes divine connection between heavenly wisdom and earthly life. It is believed that when the Buddha was 41st years old, after performing his greatest miracles at Shravasti, he ascended from Shravasti to Trayastrimsa heaven to deliver the Abhidhamma to his mother Mayamaya, who had passed away seven days after Buddha’s birth. Buddha went to Trayastrimsha Heaven with his divine power and did not inform even his disciples. Near the end of the rainy retreat, when seven days were left. Venerable Aniruddha, using his divine eye, saw the Lord Buddha and immediately told the venerable Moggallana to go and pay respects to Buddha. Moggallana went, greeted and had a conversation with him. The Buddha said he would descend in Jambudvipa (earth) after seven days. Moggallana returned.
After three months in heaven, All monks, kings, and devotees from the eight kingdoms gathered at Sankisa to see him. When Lord Buddha descended from Trayastrimsha Heaven, three divine staircases appeared, jeweled with the seven precious gems. The Buddha stood on the middle staircase. Brahma made a silver staircase on the right with white fly-whisks, and Indra made a golden staircase on the left with jeweled umbrellas. Countless gods accompanied Buddha. Over time, the staircases sank into the ground, leaving only seven steps visible. Later, King Ashoka, wishing to know the foundation, sent men to dig, reaching yellow water, but the foundation was not found. His devotion increased; he built a vihara on the steps, installed a 16-cubit Buddha statue on the middle step, and a 30-cubit-high pillar with an elephant atop behind the vihara. Buddha statues were made around the stupa, and the interior and exterior shone like crystal.
Lord Buddha had eaten heavenly food for three months, and his body exuded a divine fragrance not found in ordinary humans. After bathing, he descended, and the place became a pilgrimage site, which it remains to this day.
This act shows the Buddha’s great respect and thankfulness towards his parents, which is an important part of Buddhist ethical practice. This sacred event signifies Buddha’s boundless compassion and his commitment to guiding all beings towards enlightenment. While the elephant Ashokan pillar at Sankisa primarily commemorates the Buddha’s miraculous descent from heaven, the elephant pillar is also associated with Queen Maya’s dream foretelling the Buddha’s birth. Thus, it can be seen as a powerful symbol connecting both his divine origin and his compassionate return to the world. According to the travel accounts of the Chinese pilgrims Fa Hien (5th century CE) and Xuanzang (7th century CE), commonly known as
Journey to India, this region is scattered with stupas marking places where Lord Buddha sat, cut his hair, performed circumambulations, or where shadows of past Buddhas appeared. Around four thousand monks once lived here, receiving food from the community and following both Hinayana and Mahayana traditions. Xuanzang recorded the presence of staircases and temples, while Fa Hien observed numerous monks, noting also the gradual rise of Brahmanical influence in the region.“The Buddha descended to the human realm at Sankisa, accompanied by Brahma and Indra, creating a golden stairway visible to the multitudes gathered below.” — Dhammapada Commentary, Tripitaka