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Places To See In India |
Sarnath |
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"Sarnath is located at 10
Kms from Varanasi where Lord Buddha gave his
first sermon to the five holy men; preaching
the middleway to final 'NIRVANA’. It is the
place where Buddha delivered his first
sermon.
All the 1,000 buddhas , after demonstrating
the attainment of enlightenment at Vajrasana,
proceed to Sarnath to give the first turning
of the wheel of Dharma. Shakyamuni also
walked from Bodhgaya to Sarnath to meet the
five ascetics who had left him earlier. It
is said that coming to the Ganges, he
crossed it in one step, and it is where King
Ashoka later made Pataliputra his capital
city.
During the first watch of the night the
Buddha was silent, during the second he made
a little conversation and at the third began
the teaching. At the spot where all the
buddhas first turn the wheel, 1,000 thrones
appeared. Shakyamuni circumambulated those
of the three previous buddhas and sat upon
the fourth. Light radiated from his body,
illuminating the 3,000 worlds, and the earth
trembled. Brahma offered him a 1,000-spoked
golden wheel, and Indra and other gods also
made offerings, all imploring the Buddha to
teach.
Thus, inviting the gods and all who wished
to hear, Shakyamuni began the first turning
of the wheel of Dharma. He taught the middle
way, that avoids the extremes of pleasure
and austerity, the four noble truths, and
the eightfold path
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Places To Visit |
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DHAMEKHA STUPA
This is the most conspicuous
structure at Sarnath. From the top of the
stupa a stone tablet with an inscription
“Dharmekha” was found which points out that
this is the spot where the Buddha delivered
his first sermon. Dhamekha seems to be a
distorted form of Dharma Chakra which means
turning the wheel of the Dharma. It is also
believed that at this place the five
ascetics who left Gautama Buddha in Bodh
Gaya used to live in huts. The original
stupa was constructed by Ashoka. It was
expanded and enlarged several times upto the
12th century CE. The structures here were
destroyed by repeated invasions - and by
gradual neglect - and what are seen today
are the results of repeated reconstruction
efforts. The present size of the stupa is
31.3 m high and 28.3 m in diameter. The
lower portion of the stupa is covered
completely with beautifully carved stones.
The stones in each layer are bound together
by iron clamps. This tower dates back to the
Gupta period.
Dhamekha is believed to be the sacred place
where the voice of Buddhism was first heard.
Many dignitaries of Buddhist countries visit
this place for seeing this sacred stupa and
to worship the Buddha. Tibetans Buddhist
circumambulate it chanting 'Om mani padme
hum'. The first discourse of the Buddha was
on the 'Wheel of Law'. The wheel symbolises
samsara (world), the eternal round of
existence which goes on and on, life after
life because of ceaseless cravings and
desire.
ASHOK PILLAR
This pillar records the visit of
Emperor Ashoka to Sarnath, in the 3rd
century BC. The lion symbolises both
Ashoks's imperial rule and the kingship of
the Buddha. The four-lion capital was
adopted as the emblem of the modern Indian
republic.
CHOUKHANDI STUPA
The brick remains of the Stupa, dates
from the Gupta period, and is said to be the
site, where the Buddha was reunited with his
five disciples, who had previously deserted
him. Standing on a terraced rectangular
plinth, the Stupa is capped by an octagonal
Moghul tower, built by Emperor Akbar to
commemorate his father's visit to the place.
MULAGANDHA KUTI VIHAR
This is a modern temple built by the
Mahabodhi society in 1931. The entrance of
the vihara, is dominated by a huge bell, a
gift from Japan, and the interior contains a
beautiful life-size golden image of the
Buddha, and colourful murals and frescoes
painted by a Japanese artist Kosetsu Nosu.
One can also see the bodhi tree whose
sapling was brought from a tree in Sri
Lanka, which in turn originated from the
original tree under which Buddha sat in Bodh
Gaya and gained enlightenment 2,500 years
ago.
The archeological museum at Sarnath houses
several Buddhist sculptures and relics. The
Mahabodhi library here houses a rich
collection of Buddhist manuscripts and
writings.
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