Saru Maru

Saru Maru is the site of an ancient Buddhist monastic complex near Pangoraria village in Budhni tehsil, Sehore district, Madhya Pradesh, about 120 kilometres south of Sanchi. It contains a number of stupas and natural caves that once housed monks, and the cave walls carry Buddhist symbols such as the swastika, triratna and kalasha.

The main cave holds two inscriptions of Ashoka. One is a version of his Minor Rock Edict. The other, using his title Piyadasi, says that he came to this place on a pleasure tour while still a prince, living with his unwed consort. It suggests that Ashoka knew the monastery while he was viceroy of the region, based at Vidisha; Buddhist tradition names his wife as Vidishadevi.