About Sankisa
Sankisa, located at a distance of around 40 km from Kannauj in the Farrukabad district of Uttar Pradesh, is a place of tremendous importance for the Buddhists. Mythical legends relate the place to the Buddha. It is believed that after delivering sermons to His mother and other devas in the Heaven, the Buddha returned to earth here at this place, Sankisa, which was considered the town of human abode. Because of this, Sankisa is counted amongst the pilgrim destinations for the Buddhist.

References about the city (as Sankasya) is also found in the ancient Hindu epic of Ramayana and the travel chronicles of Huien Tsang (as Kapittha).


Buddhist Attractions in Sankisa

• The Buddha Temple : The most important attraction of Sankisa, the Buddha temple stands at the spot where the Buddha descended after His stay in the Tushita heaven. The temple houses a statue of the Buddha.
  
  
• The Temple of Maya Devi : A small temple dedicated to the mother of the Gautam Buddha stands at Sankisa. Maya Devi is regarded as the goddess of fertility by the people. Also to be seen here on the walls are Buddhist sculptures dating back to Mahayana age.
  
  
• The Ruins of Ashokan Elephant Pillar : This is yet another attraction of the small village. The uniquness of the pillar, quiet obviously, is the presence of elephants instead of lions. The elephant, it is believed, is symbolic of the white elephant of which Mayadevi had a vision at the time of conception of Siddhartha (Lord Buddha).
  
  

Other Attractions

• Shiva Linga : A colossal Shival Linga is also a huge attraction for Hindu devotees from around the country.
  
  
• Shravan Mela : The huge Shravan Mela held in the month of July August also draws large number of tourists to Sankisa.
  
  

Quick Getaways

• Kannauj : The erstwhile capital city of the great emperor, Harshavardhan, Kannauj is located at a distance of 80 kms from the city of Kanpur. The past glory of the town has faded, nonetheless, tourists still visit it to see its archaelogical museum and enjoy the smell of its attar, or perfume.
  
  
• Kanpur : Situated southwest of Lucknow, Kanpur is the largest city of the state of Uttar Pradesh. Amongst its prime attractions are The mound of Jajmau, Shri Radhakrishna Temple (J.K. Temple), Jain Glass Temple and the Kanpur Memorial Church. Other Attractions of the town include Allen Forest Zoo, Kamla Retreat, Phool Bagh, Nana Rao Park, Harcourt Butler Technological Institute, Indian Institute of Technology and Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture & Technology.