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Sarnath, India |
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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.
The teachings included in the collection known as the first turning
of the wheel, which began here, extended over a period of seven
years. Other teachings, such as those on the Vinaya and on the
practice of close placement of mindfulness, were given elsewhere,
but the wheel was turned twelve times at Sarnath.
Formerly, two great stupas adorned the site. Only the Dhamekha
remains, assigned by its inscription to the sixth century. Hsuan
Chwang describes that Ashoka's pillar, which stood in front of the
stupa, was so highly polished that it constantly reflected the
stupa's statue of the Buddha.
Deer Park was also the location of Shakyamuni's deeds as a
bodhisattva in former lives. Hsuin Tsang mentions a number of stupas
commemorating these near the monastery: one where the bodhisattva
offered himself as the deer; another where, as a six-tusked
elephant, he offered his tusks to a deceitful hunter; and a third
where the bodhisattva had been a bird, with Maudgalyayana and
Sariputra as a monkey and an elephant.
The last and largest monastery constructed before the Muslim
invasion was Dharma-Chakar-Jina Vihar, erected by Kumardevi, wife of
King Govinda Chandra, who ruled over Benares during 1114 to 1154. In
1194 AD, Kutubuddin Aibak, the Muslim conqueror, levelled the city
to the ground. Sarnath became a forest of debris below which the
historical ruins remained buried. Of the two great stupas which
adorned the city only the Dhamekha remained which is of the 6th
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Places To Visit
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.
HOW TO GET THERE
Sarnath is 9.6 km by road from Varanasi, and is linked by a regular
bus service. Nearest airport, Varanasi (32 km), is connected with
daily flights from Delhi, Bhubaneshwar, Calcutta and Kathmandu.
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India
