Top 3 Places To Visit In Sarnath

Aik TC SG

Trans India Travels

Located 13 kilometers east of Varanasi, Sarnath(in state of Uttar Pradesh) is considered to be the place where Gautama Buddha first taught the teachings of Dharma after his enlightenment. The site was a deer park which became the birthplace of the Buddhist Sangha and is one of the major pilgrimage spot for the Buddhists in India. The name Sarnath literally means ‘Lord of the deer’ and was established by the King of Banaras who created this town as a sanctuary for the deer. Here’s the list of the best places to visit in Sarnath.

Built in 500 AD, the stupa marks the exact place where Buddha first taught Dharma after receiving Bodhisattva. The structure of the stupa was built in 500 AD and was commissioned to replace an earlier 249 BC structure by King Ashoka of the Mauryan Empire. The Dhamekh Stupa is a massive 43.6 meter tall cylindrical building with a diameter of 28 meters and is built with bricks and stone. The various stone carvings and sculptures in the building are exemplary of the Gupta artisans and the inscriptions are also amazing.

Another important Buddhist stupa in Sarnath, theChaukhandi Stupa marks the exact location of the spot where Lord Buddha met his first disciples. The building was given an octagonal edifice to welcome the visit of the Mughal Ruler Humayun and was originally built during the 4th and the 6th centuries by the Gupta Kings.

Maintained by the Archeological survey of India, the Sarnath Archeological Museum is one of the oldest sites of the organization. The museum houses the famous Lion Capital of Ashoka which is also India’s national emblem. The various antiquities stored at this museum date between the 3rd century BC and 12th century AD. Many of the artifacts and manuscripts housed here are important archeological findings that are related to Buddhism.

Sarnath being a small town has fairly lesser amounts of attractions for the tourists. Nevertheless, the site is the birthplace of the world religion Buddhism and is thus one of the most important pilgrim spots for the Buddhists in India. The town has been mentioned several times in the writings of the Chinese traveler Hsuan-tsang and is considered an important historical town in India.

singfail SG

Now you and I are talking at last. Buddha is born an Indian and an Aryan. He spoke neither English nor Chinese, much lesser Thai, Burmese or Laotian or the recently popularised Japanese and Korean with their Taisho. Like India, Singapore was originally the sacred historic sites of dharma and dhamma propagation, yet over the centuries just as the various denominations of Hinduism is complicated in India, so too are the many sects of Taoism in China. As niche as Buddhism remains, the Buddha was born in heavenly humane states, His death or parinirvana is as supramundane as the complete absence of residue i.e. His disintegration in the Earthly Saha realm is practically the same as anybody that come from a womb.

What lies beyond cremation.. hmm Amitabha Namo.