On 21 September, 2012, the then President of Sri Lanka Shri Mahindra Rajapaksa laid the foundation stone of the Sanchi University of Buddhist-Indic Studies together with the former Prime Minister of Bhutan HE Jigme Yoser Thinley on a hillock on the Bhopal-Vidisha Highway having its proximity to Sanchi-better known for its Buddhist stupas.