Sarnath is one of the four most important Buddhist pilgrimage centres of India. Buddha, the great sage ,after attaining enlightenment (Buddha-hood) at Bodh Gaya came to Sarnath and delivered his first sermon to five disciples (i.e. Kaundinya, Bashpa, Bhadrika, Mahanaman and Ashvajit) for redeeming humanity.
It is this place where foundation of a new order of monks (Sangha) and a new order of religious doctrine (Dhamma) was laid. Sarnath is also sacred to the Jains because they look upon it as the site of asceticism and death of Shreyamshanath, the 11th Trithankara. In ancient Buddhist literature the place finds mention as Rishipatna and Mrigdava or Mrigadaya. The place was called Rishipatna , as it was here the bodies of five hundred Pratyeka Buddhas or Rishis(Sages) fell after their attainment of nirvana (Salvation).
According to the Jataka, in one of his previous births Buddha as aleader of a herd of deer,for saving life of a doe, appeared before the king of Benaras who relished on the flesh of a deer everyday. On being moved by his sacrifical zeal the king made the place a free roaming ground, thus it was known as mrigadava (deerpark). The inscriptions of early medieval period found from Sarnath referred to this place as Dharamchakra or Sadhamacharka pravartana vihar. The mordern name Sarnath seems to be a contraction of Saranganath (Lord of deer) still borne by the Lord Shiva enshrined in a temple nearby.
PREACHING BUDDHASarnath passed into oblivion in the 13th cent. and veil was lifted in 1798 when Mr. Duncan , the resident of Benaras gave an account of a casket of green marble inside a stone box exposed by the workmen of Jagat Singh, Dewan of Raja Chet Singh of Benaras while dismantling the Dharmaralika stupa in order to procure building materials.
This discovery had created wide interest about Sarnath. Later on excavations were conducted at the site by 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). Archaeological excavations have brought to light about a dozen carved railing pillars ascribable to the Shunga period (2nd –lst cent. B.C.). With the advent of the Kushana (1st –2nd cent. A.D.) in north India Buddhism witnessed a new phase of Religious and artistic activities.
Though Mathura was the centre of this renaissance, but Sarnath also flourished and new monuments were raised. The colossal image of Bodhisattva imported form Mathura in the 3rd regnal year of Kanishka is now exhibited in the museum. During the Gupta period (4th-6th century A.D.).
Sarnath became a main centre of structural and artistic activities. Several structures including Mulgandhakuti, the chief shrine of the Buddha were erected during this period. The Dhamekh stupa is the best preserved and most impressive edifice at Sarnath. It is a cylindrical tower 28.50 mts. In diameter at base and 33.53 mts.
In height. Fa-Hien the Chinese pilgrim visited Sarnath at the time of Chandragupta ll (376-414 A.D.) and saw here four stupas and two monastteries. The reign stupas and Harshavardhan (606-47 A.D.) must have initiated fresh religious activity and restorations of the earlier building at Sarnath.LION CAPITAL Hiuen-Tsang visited Sarnath during the time and left a vivid descriptinued of its monuments.
This place continued to flourish during the reign of the pala kings. But the monuments of Sarnath experienced a reverse, when Benaras suffered under the spearhead of Mahmud Ghajni’s invasion which is inferred from a record of the time of Mahilala, datable to 1026 A.D. Kumar Devi, wife of Govindchandra (1114-1154 A.D.) of the Gahadavala dynasty built a large monastery at Sarnath which is probably the last impressive monuments raised here and after which the architectural and artistic activitivs came to a halt. The glorious heritage remained hidden for a larger period and waited for the archaeological spade to uncover it.
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