Both Sarnath andVaranasiare popular among tourists as Buddhist/Jainism and Hindu pilgrimage but they have different feeling and aura attached with them. WhileVaranasiis loud and noisy, Sarnath is calm and serene. If you want a relaxed outing away from the madding crowd, give a quiet visit to Sarnath and you will feel in a completely whole new world!
Sarnath is probably the most important of all Buddhist holy places, as it is the place where Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon (dharma chakra pravartana), thereby bestowing upon Sarnath the title of “birthplace of Buddhism”. In Pali literature, Sarnath has been referred to as Isipatana, while Sanskrit sources refer to as Rishipattana Mrigadava.
It is said Buddha travelled to Sarnath (After his enlightenment at Bodh Gaya in 528 BCE) to meet his 5 companions (Koudanna, Vappa, Bhaddiya, Mahanama and Asvajita) as he wanted to share his newfound knowledge with them first. The present day site of the Chaukhandi Stupa is the place where the Buddha first met his 5 companions at Sarnath.
Chaukhandi Stupa, situated 13 kilometers away from Varanasi, is said to be built originally as a terraced temple in 4th to 6th century during the Gupta period. The Chaukhandi Stupa is a brick structure crowned with an octagonal tower. According to the famous Chinese traveller Hiuen-Tsang, this was the tallest stupa at that time in the region. The octagonal tower was added to the structure during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1588, to commemorate the refuge given to Humayun in Sarnath.
Lord Buddha delivered the first discourse of his Dhamma and the famous eight-fold path at a deer parkin Sarnath. This place is marked by the Dhameka or Dhamekha Stupa, which is a solid, cylindrical, brick structure. It is 43.6 m high and 28 m in diameter. The original foundation of Dhameka stupa was laid during Ashoka’s reign in 249 BCE and is still intact,; the stupa was re-built in the 5th century and many modifications and additions have been made from time to time.
An inscription (of 1026 CE) recovered from the site of Dhamekha stupa, the structure was known as the Dharma Chakra Stupa, which over the years changed to its present name. There are 8 niches in the stupa, which might have contained images of the Buddha. There is a broad strip of just below the niches that has beautifully carved designs like geometrical patterns, leaves, flowers, animals, swastikas, human figures etc.
Another significant structure at Sarnath is the remains of the Dharmarajika Stupa, just a short distance from the Dhamekh Stupa. According to archaeologists Dharmarajika Stupa contained the bones of the Buddha. Constructed during Ashoka’s reign, the stupa is believed to have been destroyed by Jagat Singh in 1794 to obtain bricks for construction. During demolition, a casket containing bones and gems were recovered from the ruins. Jagat Singh got the bones disposed off in theGanga and gems went missing and have not been traced till now. The casket is presently displayed at theIndianMuseum, Kolkata.
Numerous ancient inscriptions speak about community of buddhist monks in Sarnath from 200 BCE onwards. The Gupta period (400-600 CE) saw manifold spread of Buddhism as well as heightened creativity in arts. It is estimated that nearly 3,000 monks used to live in monasteries near the site of the Dhammeka Stupa during the Gupta period. This site is represented by the ruins of the Mulagandhakuti Vihara.
Amidst the ruins, you can see a fenced-in structure that resembles broken cylinders with inscriptions on them. You guessed it right; these are the remnants of the Ashoka Pillar, one of the most important structures at Sarnath. The great Mauryan emperor Ashoka built a series of pillars throughoutIndia and some parts of modernPakistan and Afganistan and the Sarnath Pillar is probably the grandest of all.
In its original form the Sarnath pillar stood at 12.25 m, having a diameter of 0.71 m at the base and 0.56 at the top and a Lion Capital was placed at the top with four back to back lions. The famous Ashoka Chakra topped this structure. The Ashoka pillar was broken during Turk invasions. The Ashoka Pillar and the Lion Capital were discovered during excavations in 1904 at Sarnath. The excavators also found fragments of the dharmachakra /Ashoka Chakra around the Ashoka pillar. The Ashoka Lion Capital is exhibited at theSarnathArchaeologicalMuseum. The wheel fragments have been mounted on the walls of the museum.
As you walk away from the archaeological ruins, you can see the Sarnath Archaeological Museum just across the road. The ASI museum at Sarnath is an on site museum and houses a number of artifacts related to Buddhist art as well as many images and sculptures of Hindu Gods recovered during excavations in the region. The museum comprises of five galleries with two verandahs. Some of the prominent artifacts at the musem include a life-sized image of a standing Bodhisattva, a panel depicting Shiva slaying Andhakasura, and the most important being the Lion Capital. Photography is not permitted inside the Sarnath museum, which may come as disappointment to many visitors.
The Mulagandhakuti Vihara temple, built by the Sri Lankan Mahabodhi Society, is one of the many Buddhist temples in Sarnath and probably the most famous. This Mulagandhakuti Vihara Buddha temple was built in 1931 and houses Buddha’s relics found in Taxila. The relics are displayed every year on Karthik Purnima. The walls of this temple have beautiful frescoes depicting the life of the Buddha. These frescos were made from 1932-1935 by a Japanese artist, Kosetu Nasu.
A few meters away from the Mulagandhakuti Vihara temple is the holy Bodhivriksha (the Bodhi Tree). The Bodhi tree the most sacred tree for Buddhists as Lord Buddha attained enlightenment sitting under this tree only. The Bodhi Tree of Sarnath was planted from a branch taken from the Sri Maha Bodhi tree ofAnuradhapura,Sri Lanka. This sapling was planted on 12 November 1931 by Sri Devamitta Dhammapala, founder of the Maha Bodhi Society ofIndia, to mark the opening of the Mulagandha Kuti Vihara.
Prominent among other notable Buddhist temples in Sarnath are the Nichigai Suzan Horinji Temple, the Thai temple and the Migadawun Myanmar Temple.
The latest addition to many tourist attractions at Sarnath is the standing Buddha statue at the Thai Buddha vihar. With a height o 80 ft, it is the tallest standing Buddha statue. This magnificent statue of Buddha was built over 14 years as a result of Indo-Thai joint effort.
