Sarnath
pilgrimage
centers
Amarnath
Amritsar
Ayodhya
Badrinath
Bodha
Gaya
jyothirlingas
kanyakumari
Khajuraho
konark temple
Madurai
Mathura
Pandharpur
Pashupatinath
Puri Jagannath
Rameswaram
Rishikesh
Sarnath
Satya sai baba
Shani Shingnapur
Srikalahasti
Shri
Lakshmi GoldenTemple
Tirupathi
Vaishno Devi
SadGurus
Akkalkot
Maharaj
Shripad
SriVallabh
Dwadasa
jyotirlingas
Somanath
Shrishailam
Omkareshwar
Vaidyanath
Maha
Kaleshwar
Kashi
vishwanath
Bhimashankar
kedarnath
Nageshwer
Trimbakeshwar
Grishneshwar
Shakti
peethas
Sightseeing
Agra
Ajanta caves
Delhi
Ellora caves
Goa
Jaipur
Kashmir
Manasarovar
Foreign Trips
Sarnath or Sarangnath (also called Mrigadava, Migadāya,
Rishipattana and Isipatana) is one of the most important Buddhist
pilgrimage centres in India. It is also an important place for the
followers of Jainism.
Sarnath is situated 13Kms to north-east of Varanasi in Uttar
Pradesh. It is the place where Gautam Buddha gave his first sermon
to his five disciples named Kaundinya, Bashpa, Bhadrika, Mahanaman
and Ashvajit after he attained enlightenment at Bodh Gaya (in
present dayBihar).
Sarnath is, thus, the place where foundation of Sangha, a new order
of monks and Dhamma, was laid. It is also a religious and sacred
place for Jains. It is the site of the birth of Shreyamshanath, the
11th Trithankara.
In the
ancient Buddhist literature, Sarnath has been identified as
Rishipatna and Mrigdava or Mrigadaya. The reason for it being
referred to as Rishipatna was that after attaining nirvana,
Pratyeka Buddhas or Rishis (Sages) fell at this place.
The reason behind the place being called mrigadava (deerpark) is
found in the Buddhist Jatakas. As per Jataka, Buddha had been a
leader of herd of deer in his previous births had saved the life of
a doe and appeared before the king of Benaras and offered himself
to be killed in the place of the doe who feasted on the flesh of
deer regularly. The king was moved by the sacrificial zeal of
Buddha and made a free roaming ground.
The place was also called Dharamchakra or Sadhamacharka pravartana
vihar as revealed by the inscriptions of early medieval period
(found at Sarnath). The current name Sarnath seems to be a short
version of Saranganath that stands for Lord of deer.
Sarnath lost its identity and sunk in oblivion in the 13th century
but gained its glory back in 1798. In 1798 Mr Duncan, the resident
of Benaras, threw light on a casket of green marble inside a stone
box which was unveiled by the workmen of Jagat Singh, Dewan of Raja
Chet Singh of Benaras while he was knocking down the Dharmaralika
stupa as he wanted to gather building material. This created a lot
of buzz about Sarnath and it was then when Sarnath gained
limelight.
Thereafter many archaeological excavations were conducted at the
site by number of people namely Sir Alexander Cunningham (1835-36),
Major Kittoe (1851-52), Mr. C. Horne (1865), Mr. F.O. Oertal
(1904-5), Sir john Marshall (1907), Mr. H. Hargreaves(1914-15), and
Mr. Daya Ram Sahni (1927-32).
These excavations unveiled carved railing pillars from Shunga
period (2nd –1st cent. B.C). With the onset of the Kushanas (1st
–2nd cent. A.D.), a new wave of religious and artistic activities
emerged in northIndia.Mathurabecame the centre of all the new
activities but Sarnath flourished equally during this period.
In the 3rd regnal year of Kanishka, a colossal image of Bodhisattva
was imported fromMathura, which has now found a place for itself in
the archaeologicalmuseumofSarnath.
Sarnath became a prominent centre of Buddhism in the Gupta period.
The abundance of exquisitely carved sculptural art, which was given
a new dimension by the Gupta artists, is testimony to this fact.
The place, thus, became a main centre of Gupta art and gave rise to
the Sarnath School of Art, which is known for its elegance,
simplicity of forms and sublimity. The images of Buddha (displayed
at Shakyasimha gallery) are a true example of thisschoolofArt.
Standing figure of abundantly ornamented Tara is one of the best
specimens of Late Gupta sculptural art ofSarnathSchool.
Sarnath became a centre of structural and artistic activities
during this period and several structures including Mulgandhakuti,
the chief shrine of the Buddha, were erected during this period.
One of the most impressive and best preserved stupa is the Dhamekh
Stupa at Sarnath. It is a cylindrical tower that measures 28.50 mts
in diameter and 33.53 mts in height.
At the time of Chandragupta ll (376-414 A.D.), the famous Chinese
traveler Fa-Hien visited Sarnath and saw four stupas and two
monasteries here. Hiuen-Tsang has left a vivid description of
Sarnath’s monuments.
Sarnath continued to blossom during the reign of the Pala kings.
However, the place suffered when Benaras fall prey to Mahmud
Ghajni’s invasions. The last remarkable monument at Sarnath that
got shape was a large monastery built by Kumar Devi, wife of
Govindchandra (1114-1154 A.D.) of the Gahadavala dynasty.
After that the architectural and artistic activities came to a
standstill and the world had to wait for long to witness the real
Sarnath till archaeological excavations unveiled the glory and
heritage.
One of
the four most important Buddhist pilgrimage destinations in India,
Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh is the site where Lord Buddha - the great
sage delivered his first sermon after attaining enlightenment. The
rich and eventful History of Sarnath Uttar Pradesh is an
interesting and captivating one.
The
History of Sarnath Uttar Pradesh mentions that Sarnath had also
been referred as 'Mrigadava' meaning 'deer park' and 'Isipatana'
denoting the place where holy men fell to earth. Legend has it that
before the Buddha was born, devas descended upon earth to announce
the birth to500 holy men. The holy men all rose into the air and
disappeared, and all their relics fell onto the
ground.
The
History of Sarnath India began with the arrival of Gautam Buddha at
this place in 528 B.C. after he attained enlightenment at Bodh
Gaya. Here he preached his first discourse to his five former
companions. This event is described in Buddhist texts as
dharmachakra - pravartana, meaning the turning of the Wheel of Law.
The Buddha taught them al that he had
learned
and thus
they also became enlightened. This marked the foundation of the
first Buddhist Sangha or the community of
monks.
According
to the History of Sarnath Uttar Pradesh, the Chinese traveler
Hiouen Thsang had mentioned that the Deer Park at Sarnath was the
forest gifted by the king of Benares of the Jataka, as a place
where the deer might roan around unmolested. Thus Sarnath came to
be named as 'Migadaya', so called because the deer could wander
unharmed.
History
of Sarnath India also mentions that the first preaching delivered
by the Buddha at Sarnath is known in Pali as the
Dhammacakkhapavathana Sutta. Other Suttas delivered here include
Anattalakhana Sutta and the Saccavibhanga Sutta. The Buddha's main
teachings after his enlightenment centered around the Four Noble
Truths and the Eightfold Path
After
preaching his first discourse at Sarnath, the Buddha spent the next
rainy season at the Mulagandhakuti vihara in Sarnath. By then, the
Buddhist Sangha had grown to 60 in number. The Buddha then sent the
members of the Sangha to preach his teachings all
around.
The
flourish of Buddhism in Sarnath can be attributed to a large extent
to the support of kings and wealthy merchants inhabiting the
region. By the 3rd century B.C., Sarnath had flourished as a major
center for arts, and the town reached its zenith during the Gupta
reign (4th -6th century A.D.). According to the History of Sarnath
Uttar Pradesh, when the Chinese traveler Hsuan Tsang visited
Sarnath in the 7th century, there were 30 monasteries and 3000
monks living in Sarnath.
Sarnath
came to be a major center of the Sammatiya school of Buddhism, one
of the Nikaya or Hinayana schools. The occurrence of images of
Heruka and Tara at Sarntah monasteries indicate that Vajrayana
Buddhism also flourished here.
The end
of the 12th centyru saw Sarnath being ransacked by
Turkish
Muslims.
The site was extensively plundered for building materials and has
been lying in ruins since then. Thereafter, Sarnath remained
completely deserted until 1836, when the British began excavations
and restoration of this historic city.
Sarnath-
Journey to the Places of Elucidation of Lord
Buddha
sarnath?
It is famous as Buddhist pilgrimage place and this is the place
where Lord Buddha delivered his first speech. Mainly four Buddhist
pilgrimage place in India, Sarnath is one pilgrimages and other
three is Lumbini, Kushinagar and Bodh Gaya. Sarnath located in the
Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, near Varanasi city. Varanasi is the
holy city of India. The world famous holy river the Ganga is
located only 10 km. The position of Buddha temples is near Sarnath
railway station. The resident of sarnath is very helpful for
tourist.
Lord
Buddha delivered his first sermon in the Sarnath. Sarnath town has
a number of Buddhists living of his own house. Name of stupa is
Chaukhandi Stupa and various Buddhist temples of Japan, and many
other countries temple is established on sarnath, a large number of
visitors from faraway places. Ashoka Pillar is the most important
figures of Sarnath and the national emblem of
India.
Site designed and Maintained by Harish