John Marshall, the acclaimed British archaeologist, could study the Sanchi stupa when it was under:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → The rulers of Bhopal
Sanchi remained part of the Bhopal state, and its rulers, Shahjehan Begum and her successor Sultan Jehan Begum, paid for its preservation; Sultan Jehan funded the museum and the guesthouse where John Marshall lived and wrote his volumes on Sanchi, which he dedicated to her.
NCERT (2026-27): “1. A Glimpse of Sanchi … Nineteenth-century Europeans were very interested in the stupa at Sanchi. In fact, the French sought Shahjehan Begum’s permission to take away the eastern gateway, which was the best preserved, to be displayed in a museum in France. For a while some Englishmen also wanted to do the same, but fortunately both the French and the English were satisfied with carefully prepared plaster-cast copies and the original remained at the site, part of the Bhopal state. The rulers of Bhopal, Shahjehan Begum and her successor Sultan Jehan Begum, provided money for the preservation of the ancient site. No wonder then that John Marshall dedicated his important volumes on Sanchi to Sultan Jehan. She funded the museum that was built there as well as the guesthouse where he lived and wrote the volumes. She also funded the publication of the volumes.…” |