Sanchi consists of a Stupa (a round dome like structure) surrounded by four carved gateways. The site itself is located in a remote part of the state of Madhya Pradesh on top of a hill. The entrance is through the East Gate, the most important gate, which originally contained two statues of the goddess Yakshi. The floor plan of the site is a cosmic map, a mandula.

The Yakshi (the Sanchi torso) comes from the pre-Vedic Indus valley culture (2500 BC- 1750 BC) that emphasized "seeing" (Darshan) the images rather than the later Vedic period (800 BC) where the word (mantra) was more important.

To understand the significance of the Yakshi’s on the gate, one must first understand how the pilgrimage is a vital aspect of Hindu / Buddhist spirituality. The sacred walk to the site and around the Stupa is part of the meditative process. This walking also signifies an enactment of the life of Bhuda walking. Walking around the Stupa signifies transcending. Only THEN once in the proper state of mind does one walk up the Stupa, stand behind the Yakshi and look out at the scene in front of Her, therefore looking out "through the eyes" of the Yakshi at the world. The Yakshi is holding a Bohdi tree, which signifies a focus on meditation to enlightenment because the Bhuda was enlightened under the same type of tree. This is the way that the Yakshi should be experienced, once in the proper state of mind, from the back only.

During the British rule one of the Yakshi's was removed from Sanchi and was cut in a very specific way, in fact it is no accident that it looks similar to the . (Refer to my own work regarding this image). Many Western historians would like to believe that the Greek influence was huge within India. When in fact Alexander the Great was only there for a brief period, and as stated earlier, the Yakshi goddess image comes from the pre-Vedic period of 2500 BC, not from Greek influence.

Today it is displayed at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston like a Greek statue, close up and viewed primarily from the front. The current display shows a total disregard for the Yakshi, it was never meant to be seen with such clarity, close up as a sexual body. It is a goddess, to be seen at a distance above you, or from the back so one would see the world" through the eyes" of the goddess. It is sacred, not a Greek object for display. This type of display, brings into question the very function of the museum itself.