Sarnath – Uttar Pradesh
Sanctity
Having enjoyed the bliss of Enlightenment for seven weeks, the Buddha got up, gazed with reverence at the sacred Bo-Tree and thoughfully proceeded on foot to the deer park (Mrigadava) about 250 kms. Away at Isipatana (Rishipatana), modern Sarnath, near Varanasi. According to Mahavastu, a Sanskrit Buddhist text. It was here that Pratyeka of 500 Buddhas or Rishis fell after his attainment of Nirvana, hence. The name Rishipatana. A Jataka story says that Mrigadava was the place where herds of deer roamed freely as they had been granted immunity by the King of Varanasi, moved to compassion by the spirit of self-sacrifice of bodhisattva born as Nyagrodhamriga. The modern name seems to have been derived from Saranganatha (Lord of deer), a name borne by the Mahadeva enshrined in a temple nearby.On seeing Gautama coming towards them, the five ascetics decided not be welcome him saying that ‘by abandoning austerities and turning to a life of luxury, Gautama has committed a sim and is not worthy of respect’. But when the Buddha came near, all the five Parivrajakas involuntarily rose from their seats and greeted him. Impressed by his dignified manners and his personality, they treated him like adistinguished guest. Unfolding the new path discovered by him, the Buddha said, "Two extremes there are , O monks, which he who strives after enlightenment must avoid, which two A life addicted to pleasure which is vulgar and worthless, and a life given to self-mortification which is painful and equally profitless".
Then the Buddha enunciated the Four Noble Truths: Suffering; its cause; its cessation; and the path leading to the cessation of suffering. And added that the way to Nibbana, emancipation, or the path that leads to cessation of sufferig, higher wisdom and peace of mind is the Noble Eightfold path or the Middle path. This path is:
Right Understanding: free from superstition and delusion;
Right Thought: high and worthy of the intelligent, earnest man.
Right Speech: kindly, open, truthful.
Right Conduct: peaceful, honest, pure.
Right Livelihood: bringing hurt or danger to no living thing.
Right Effort: in self-training and in self-control.
Right Mindfulness: the active, watchfulmind.
Right Concentration: earnest thought on the deep mysteries of life.
The Buddha thus preached His First Sermon at Isipatana, modern Sarnath. This event is known in the Buddhist text as the Dharmachakra-Pravartana, "Turning of the Wheel of the Law". At Sarnath again the Buddha laid the foundation of the Sangha or the order of Monks. The five Parivrajakas, namely, Anjata Kaudinya, Bhaddiya, Vappa, Mahanama and Assaji, Popularly known in the Buddhist Texts as Panchvargiya Bhikkhus, were the first members of the Sangha established by the Buddha. The sixth person to join the Sangh was Yasa, the son of a rich merchant of Varanasi. Following his example, fifty four friends and companions of Yasa also became disciples of the Buddha saying, :Whatis good for Yasa, must be good for them."
Two months after the First Sermon, the Buddha summoned His first sixty disciples and said, "Go ye O Bhikkhus and wander forth for the gain of the many, for the welfare of the many, in compassion for the world. Left not two of you for the same way. Proclaim, O Bhikkhus, the Doctrine glorious, preach ye a life of holiness, perfect and pure." Thus began from Sarnath the missionary life of the Buddha and Buddhism.
History
Sarnath, being the scene of Dharma-Chakra-Pravartana and founding of the Sangha, a number of temples and monasteries had been constructed at this holy spot during the life time of the Buddha. No traces of these buildings have, however, survived. Nor the names of the pious donors are known.Asoka, the first Emperor, came on pilgrimage to Sarnath in about 250 B.C. and raised several monuments at this holy place. One of them was the Dharmarajika Stupa. Another monument was the Dhamek Stupa. Yet another important monument was the monolith pillar surmounted by a magnificent lion capital. This lion-capital has been adopted by modern India as her National Emblem. The lion-capital was crowned by a grand Dharmachakra symbolizing the Supreme Wheel of the Doctrine which the Buddha had set in motion at Sarnath. The Dharmachakra (Wheel of the Law) now forms the central part of India’s National Flag.
With the advent of Kanishka who ascended the Kushana throne in A.D. 78, Buddhism in India entered a new phase of religious and artistic activity. Sarnath also had its due share, and a number of new temples and viharas were added. A novel addition at Sarnath was a colossal Bodhisattva image of red sandstone together with aproportionately large parasol (Chhatra) crowing it. This image was installed in the third year of Kanishka’s reign by Bhikshu Bala Mathura.
During the Gupta rule (4th century-6th century) the main shrine of Sarnath was enlarged and the Dhamek Stupa was encased with carved stones. The famous seated Buddha image in the attitude of preaching. Was also added during this period. An inscription on the pedestal of a Buddha image mentions the gift of Kumaragupta, possibly a reference to the Gupta Emperor of that name who ruled from A.D. 414-A.D. 455. Two other inscriptions discovered at Sarnath are those of Kumara Gupta II, dated A.D. 473 and Buddhagupta, dated atleast two of the later Gupta Kings were devout Buddhists. They were Buddhagupta and arasimhagupta or Baladitya who ascended the throne in about A.D. 500.
Fa-hien, the first Chinese pilgrim who was in India from A.D. 399-A.D. 414, saw at Sarnath four stupas and two monasteries (With resident monks). After his visit, the Sarnath shrines were considerably damaged during the barbarous invasion of North India by the White Huns.
Under the patronage of Harsha (A.D. 606-A.D. 647), the last Buddhist Emperor, Buddhism in India saw great resurgence and grew in strength. Hiuen Tsang, the second Chinese pilgrim, who visited Sarnath in A.D. 638, saw the Dhamek Stupa, the Dharmarajika Stupa and the pillar of Asoka, the main shrine and many other smaller stupas. Describing the main shrine (Mulagandha Kuti), Hiuen Tsang says:
"Its precincts are devided into eight portions (sections) connected by a surrounding wall. There are fifteen hundred priests in this convent who study the Little Vehicle according to the Sammitiya School. In the great enclosure is a Vihara about 200 feet high; above the roof is a figure of the Amra, mango fruit, with golden cover. The foundations of the building are of stone, and so also are the stairs; but the towers and niches are of brick. The niches are arranged on the four sides in a hundred successive lines, and in each niche is a golden figure of Buddha. In the middle of the Vihara is a figure of Buddha made of teeushih (native copper). It is alife-size figure and is represented as turning the Wheel of the Law (Preaching)."
Sarnath was ravaged by Mahmud Ghazni and his forces in A.D. 1017. However, Sarnath were restored soon. According to a record dated 1023, of the reign of Mahipala of the Pala dynasty, two brothers Sthirapala and Vasantapala restored the two monuments, namely, Dharmarajika and Dharamachakra stups and also added a new shrine of stone. That Sarnath continued to be a living shrine in the 11th century is evident from six fragments of a stone inscription found in the ruins of the monastery to the east of the Dhamek stupa. It says that a Mahayana monk had a copy of the Ashtasahasrika holy text prepared in 1058 and presented it with other things to the Bhikkhu Sangha living in the monastery known as Sadharmachakra Pravartana Mahavihara.
The last known patron of the Sarnath shrines was Queen Kumaradevi, wife of King Govindachandra (1114-1154) of the Gahadavala dynasty who made himself master of Kanauj, Ayodhya and Banaras, Kumaradevi, a pious Buddhist lady,built a large monastery at Sarnath named Dharmachakra-Jina-Vihara. After this event, dark clouds engulfed Sarnath and its glory faded for ever.
Sarnath remained deserted and neglected for about 600 years. Even the existence of such a holy place was not known. Then under tragic circumstances Sarnath came to the notice of the modern world. This happened in 1794 when themagnificent Dharmarajika Stupa, which was still standing intact, was dismantled by Jagat Singh, Diwan of Raja Chef Singh of Banaras, Just for the sake of building material required for a housing colony, which he called Jagatgunj, after his own name. When this stupa was being pulled down, Jagat Singh’s workmen found at a depth of 8.25m from the top a large round stone box with a green marble relic casket witl human bones, pearls, gold leaves and other jewels. These body-relics, which apparently belonged to the Buddha and were enshrined in this stupa by Asoka, were thrown by Jaga Singh in the river Ganga.
This act of Vandalism might have gone unnoticed but for a report about this discovery by Mr. Janothan Duncan Commissioner of Banaras. Mr. Duncan’s report published in 1798 in the "Asiatic Researches" attracted public attention to the ruins of Sarnath. The first British national to take interest in Sarnath was Col. C. Mackenzie. He carried out some exploration in 1815 and the sculptures found by him are now in the Indian Museum, Calcutta.
In 1835-1836, Alexander Cunningham carried on excavations at Sarnath. He opened the Dhamek Stupa and found inside it a stone slab inscribed with the Buddhist creed. Rediscovered the stone box containing the relic-casket of the Dharmarajika stupa and also explored the monastery and a temple to the north of Dharmarajika Stupa. All the findings of Cunningham are preserved in the Indian Museum, Calcutta.
Another tragedy struck Sarnath soon after Cunningham’s visit, when over forty sculptures and carved stone left behing by Cunningham, and about sixty cartloads of stones from the Sarnath shrines were used in the construction of the two bridges on the river Varuna. Some material was also used in the Queens College building which now housed Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, and the Railway Buildings.
In 1851-1852, Major Kittoe, Government Archaelological Enquirer, excavated numerous monuments around the Dhamek Stupa and also a quadrangular building now marked as monastery VI. After him excavation work was continued by E. Thomas and subsequently by Professor Fitz Edward Hall and by C. Horne in 1865.
In 1904-1905, F.C. Oertel undertook major excavation work at Sarnath. He exposed the main shrine, found the Asoken pillar and its capital and unearthed a large number of sculptures and inscriptions. His most important find was the famous image of Buddha Preaching the First Sermon representing the highest achievement of Buddhist art in A.D. fifth century.
The excavations at Sarnath were further undertaken by Sir John Marshal in 1907, by H. Hargreaves in 1914-1915 and lastly by Daya Ram Sahni in 1922.
The Buddhist monuments so far discovered and exposed at Sarnath are the following
Of the above, four monuments are considered more sacred because of their association with the Buddha. They are the Dhamek Stupa, the Dharmarajika Stupa, the Main shrine and the Asoken pillar. The spot called Chankama, marking Buddha’s promenade, is the fifth sacred spot.
