Sarnath- The spiritual land near Banaras

Sarnath is spiritual land near Varanasi originally it was known is Rishipathanam. Sarnath has covetable wealth in form of religious tradition and archaeological remains with attracts thousands of pilgrims, historians, archaeologists and students from around the world. It is one of the four major pilgrimage places to the Buddhists, as here Lord Buddha gave his first sermon. Sarnath is equally holy for the Jainas, as the place of the austerities and death of the eleventh Tirthankara Sreyamsanatha.

HISTORY OF SARNATH

Sarnath is a holy place for Buddhism, as Buddha turned the Wheel of Low for the first time. In Buddhist literature Sarnath is very well known as Rishipatana or Mrigadava.After attaining Enlightenment at Bodhgaya, Buddha decided that he must preach his Dharma for the welfare of all beings.Buddha came to know that his five erstwhile companions who were also struggling for enlightenment with Buddha are staying at Sarnath. So Buddha proceeded to this place Sarnath to explain to them for the first time his teaching. The event in Buddhist texts is known as Dharmachakra- Pravartana i.e Turning of the Wheel of Law. Buddha Preached the Four Noble Truths which became the essence of Buddhist Teaching. At Sarnath, Buddha laid the foundation of the first Buddhist Sangha with five disciples and 55 other disciples.The first Buddhist Sangha was of sixty monks and Buddha sent those monks to different directions to preach the tenets of Buddhism. According to hindu mythology Sarnath was Originally known as Sarangnath, which means the Lord of the Deer. Sarangnath is another name of Lord Shiva. There is a Shiva Temple near the ruins of Sarnath. After the Mahaparnirvana of Lord Buddha, almost 200 year later, the Mauryan emperor King Ashoka decided to spread Buddhism. The reason was a war waged against the people of Kalinga, but the suffering caused by it filled the heart of King Ashoka with intense remorse and he decided to abstain from war forever and spread the message of peace. King Ashoka built several stupas at Sarnath. He had also erected a pillar that is now known as the Ashokan Pillar and can be seen at the Sarnath Museum. The Ashokan Pillar is now a national emblem of India.

PLACES TO SEE IN SARNATH

While the ancient monasteries of Sarnath remain intact to this day, they were started becoming more and more popular in the post-Independence years as tourist destinations. With the decline of Buddhism in India there was also a decline in interest in these places and it took a while for them to see new interest. Recently though, with increased tourism in India, people are again starting to visit places like Sarnath. The remains of the ancient structures of Sarnath dates back between 3rd Century BC to 12th Century AD. One thing that you will want to do upon your arrival is take a look at one of its famous stupas, Ashoka Pillar in Museum, Various architecture of Buddhist temples made by different countries like Japan, China, Thailand, Burma.

Dhamekh Stupa

The most iconic monument of Sarnath Buddhist complex. It is a solid cylindrical structure, with 28.5mtr. diameter and 42.06mtr height made of Red brick. It is believed that Lord Buddha preached his first sermon at this place.

Dharmarajika Stupa

Once Constructed by King Ashok in 1951, Dharmarajika Stupa was enlarged at various points during its history. However, it was largely destroyed due to the attack of Jagat Singh in 1794. This site also boasted two beautiful statues of Buddha that were excavated from the ruins and have since been placed in the Patna Museum.

Ashokan Pillar

To the west of Main Shrine of Mulgandha Kuti Vihara main shrine lies a Ashoka Column. It was once 15.25 meter high and was surmounted by the famous lion capital.The pillar bear three inscriptions, the earliest one is an edict of Ashoka in Brahmi Characters, in which emperor gave warning to the monks and nuns against creating schism in the Sangha and no one shall cause division in the order of Monks. The second inscription is of the Kushan period and the third record in early Gupta script.

Mulgandha Kutir Vihara (Old and New)

The ancient Mulgandha Kuti Vihara (Old) is adjacent to Dharmrajika Stupa or at the back of Ashoka Pillar. This place is believed to be the seat of Lord Buddha for meditation.  Later the magnificent temple was perhaps built at the time of Gupta period. Chinese traveler  Hiuen Tsang or Xuan Zang, who visited India during the 7th century AD witnessed the ancient Mulgandha Kuti Vihara, he wrote the height of the temple was almost 61 m.

The new Mulgandha Kuti Vihara is located right adjacent to the ruins of Sarnath, The Founder of the Mahabodhi Society,  Shri Angarika Dharampala, a Sri Lankan Buddhist made this beautiful new Temple in 1931.The Golden statue of Lord Buddha in Dharma Chakra Pravartan mudra is placed inside the temple.The beautiful fresco painting was done by famous Japanese artist Kosetsu Nosu. The frescoes art in the temple depict the life of Siddhartha since his birth to the attainment of enlightenment becoming Buddha till the Mahaparinirvana in Kushinagar. The temple has relics of Lord Buddha and it is brought out during Buddha Purnima.

Bodhi Tree

Beside the Mulagandhi Kuti Viahara made by Mahabodhi Society, one can witness the complex with some Buddhist Shrines and Bells. The Seated Buddha Statue under a big Bodhi tree with his first five disciples giving the first sermon. It was made by Burmese Buddhist devotees.

It is said that the Emperor Ashoka’s daughter Sanghmitra planted the sapling of Bodhi Tree from Bodhgaya in Anuradhapura in Sri Langa, and later Anagarika Dharmapala took a sapling from Srilanga and planted it at this place in Sarnath in 1931.

The Japanese Temple or The Nichiren Horinji Temple

The Japanese Temple of Sarnath is one of the popular Buddhist temples in Sarnath. The temple architecture is in Japanese Style, the calm and pleasing environment, with huge wooden statue of Buddha in reclining posture. The temple is managed by the Dharmachakra Indo-Japan Buddhist Cultural Society.The Nichiren Buddhist Mantra “NA MU MYO HO REN GE KYO” is written near to the main statue. The Prayers of morning and evening are done in Japanese style and follows the Japanese temple rituals.

Big Standing Buddha Statue and the Thai Temple

A big standing Buddha Statue is located at the Thai Buddha Vihara commonly known as Thai Temple, Statue is of height 80 ft and is considered as the tallest standing Buddha statue in India. The construction of Statue was started under joint effort under India-Thai project.It was built of stone and took over 14 years to complete.