Referred as Monastery I, lying 232 m from east to west and occupied by a central block of buildings, this monument was the gift of Kumaradevi, the Buddhist queen of the great Gahadavala king Govindrachandra of Kashi (CE 1114-1154). All the halls and apartments of the monks have disappeared. This monastery had two gateways towards the east, there being a distance of 88.45 m between the two. At the western most edge of the site a distinct covered passage leads to a small medieval shrine.
Archive for Sarnath
Dharmachakra Jina Vihara
Category: Sarnath /
Tags: Buddhist, Chakra, Christianity, Dharma, dharmachakra, Govindrachandra, Jina Vihar, kashi, Kumaradevi, medieval shrine, Monk, monument, Religion and Spirituality
Tibetan Temple – Padma Samye Dharma Chakra Vihar
From the Sarnath-Ashapur crossing, at a distance of 350 m, close to the Chaukhandi Stupa, on the right a road leads to this temple. This temple was patronised by Khonzen-Palden-Sherab and Khenpo Tsenangun Gyal and opened in 1996. The entrance is at the east. The local management is under the control of Premaji Yaltjen. One of the main objectives behind its construction is to provide basic and religious-moral education to poor and orphan Tibetan children. The students receive training and education for 8-10 years and afterwards they will return to their native places and serve their society to make them more harmonious and self-educated.
Tibetan Temple Map
Incoming search terms:
Category: Sarnath /
Tags: Ashapur, Chakra, Chaukhandi, Dharma, Dharma Chakra, education, Khenpo, moral education, Padma Samye, samye, sarnath, Sherab, stupa, Tibetan, tibetan children, tibetan temple, Tsenangun, varanasi tourism, Yaltjen
Vajra Vidya Samsthan
Located about 450 m north from the Mahabodhi Temple in the village Khajuri, the ‘Vajra Vidya Institute & Monastery’ is the latest addition in the sacred territory of Sarnath. Following the road behind the Sale Counter of museum, one meets the Burmese Monastery, and continuing the same road about 1 km through Srinagar Bazar one reaches to the monastery. Spread over one hectare of land this monastery is constructed by the pafronage of Thrangu Tulku Rinpoche, a Buddhist Bhikshu (monk) of Sikkim. This is a unique example of the integration of ancient and modern Tibetan architecture.
Incoming search terms:
Burmese Monastery – Sarnath
The Maha Wijitawi Sima or the Burmese Temple is built on the low land west of the excavation area. It was built in CE 1934 by Daw Ryu with her daughter Ma Than Myun, and Daw Goom with her son Maung HIa Khaing of Rangoon (Burma). There lays a Buddhist image made of white marble with two other images of the Lord’s disciples. U. Shwe Hiwa Myomathugyi, Dawtlla and Sons, Bassein, Daw Pyu, Daw Goon and Sons of Rangoon donated the Buddha image. In front of the temple there is a library building, Saddhammaransi Library, built by the donation of U. Shwe Win and his wife. In the open courtyard a Buddha image was installed under an umbrella in 1994.
Incoming search terms:
Category: Sarnath /
Tags: Buddha, buddha image, Buddhist, buddhist image, Burmese Monastery, burmese monastery sarnath, burmese temple sarnath, excavation area, Maha Wijitawi, monastery, monestry of varanasi, Saddhammaransi, Saddhammaransi Library, sarnath, temple, Varanasi, varanasi tourism, Wijitawi Sima
Mulagandha Kuti Vihara – Sarnath
This monument, square on plan, measuring 18.29 m along each side, represents the main shrine where the Buddha used to sit in meditation for three months during the rainy season. According to Hsuan-tsang it was 61 m high. The style of decoration and moulding indicate that the monument was raised in the Gupta period. The concern pavement round the monument was added later when the brick walls were also added inside the main chamber to give support to the roof.
Incoming search terms:
Dhamekh Stupa
This spot is believed to be exactly the place where the Buddha delivered his Second Sermon on Anattalakana Sutta to his five disciples. This monument is considered to be the most important and sacred among the structures at Sarnath. This solid cylindrical tower, 28.5 m in diameter at the base and 33.5 m in height, or 42.1 m including the foundations, consists of a circular drum to a height of 11.2 m, resting on the ground without the usual rectangular basement . It shows 8 faces at a height of 6 m, each with an arched recess for an image. Below the arched recess is a band of design. The upper band of ornamentation is generally a scroll of the lotus plant with leaves and buds only; while the lower band also having lotus scroll contains the full-blown flowers and the buds. The upper portion of the Stupa is built of large bricks. The outer facing of this portion has now vanished and it is very difficult to say whether this part was also cased in stone like the lower portion or only plastered over. Cunningham opines that this portion might have been simply plastered over. The central portion is elaborately decorated with Gupta designs, e.g. luxuriant foliation, geometric patterns, birds and flowers – the most intricate scroll-pattern. The well known figures of Boddhisattva standing and the Buddha teaching were found around this monument.
Dhamekh Stupa Map – Sarnath
Incoming search terms:
Category: Sarnath /
Tags: Bodh Gaya, Buddhism, buddhist countries, budha, Colonel Cunningham, dhamekh stupa, Dharma Chakra, dharmachakra stupa, dharmachakra vihar varanasi, first sermon, Gautama Buddha, India, sacred place, sarnath, sarnathStupa, sermon, stone tablet, stupa, Tibetans, varanasi tourism
Chaukhandi Stupa – Sarnath
About 600 m before the museum along the main road, on the left side one encounters the first stupa. Through the recent renovation, landscape gardening and preservations the scenic beauty of the area becomes more attractive. Based on archaeological excavations it is believed that this stupa, or a terraced temple, appears to be constructed prior to the times of Gupta kings, i.e. 5 century. This site assumed to be the actual spot where the Buddha after his enlightenment met five ascetics who earlier left him in disgust at his alleged backsliding, and finally gave the First Sermon, “The Four Noble Truths”. The Persian inscription over one of the doorways of the stops, reads” As Humayun, king of the Seven Climes, now residing in paradise, deigned to come and sit here one day, thereby increasing the splendour of the sun, so Akbar, his son and humble servant, resolved to built on this spot a lofty tower reaching to the blue sky”. By the order of Akbar, Govardhan, son of the Raja Todarmal, the finance secretary in teAkbar’s court, built this octagonal tower on top of the stupa in 1588.
Chaukhandi Stupa Map – Sarnath
Incoming search terms:
Category: Sarnath /
Tags: Akbar, archaeological excavations, Buddha, Buddhism, Buddhist, budha, Chaukhandi, enlightenment, first sermon, four noble truths, gau, Govardhan, Gupta, humble servant, museum, Noble Truthsâ, persian inscription, Raja Todarmal, renovation, sarnath, sermon, stupa, temple, varanasi tourism
Ashokan Lion-Pillar – Sarnath
The Indian Lion-Pillar at Sarnath is the finest and the most famous of all the examples of Mauryan art. Discovered in 1905, this consists of a shaft made of a single piece of block of black spotted buff-colored sandstone that supports a capital made of another single piece of stone. The inscribed stump of the Ashokan column, presently of a height of only 2.03 m, was originally 15.25 m high, and it was surmounted by the famous Lion-capital with a crowning dharmachakra fitted above the heads of the four lions, on a contrivance into a groove in the centre. The portion of the pillar embedded in the ground in rough rests on a large flat stone, 20.3 x 15.2 x 45.7 cm. The pillar bears three inscriptions. The first, an edict of Ashoka in Brahmi characters refers to the emperor giving a warning to the monks and nuns against creating schism. The second is of the Kushana period and refers to the 4O” year of Ashvaghosha. The third inscription, an early Gupta script, mentions the teacher of the Sammitiya sect and the Vastiputraka School.
Incoming search terms:
Category: Sarnath /
Tags: ashoka pillar varanasi, Ashokan, Ashokan Lion-Pillar, Ashvaghosha, Brahmi, Buddhism, capital, Chakra, colored sandstone, dharmachakra, Gupta, Indian art, indian lion pillar, Kushana, Lion, lion of sarnath, Lion-capital, lions of sarnath, Mauryan, monks and nuns, Pillar, pillar at sarnath, Sammitiya, sandstone, sarnath, States and territories of India, stone, Tourism in Uttar Pradesh, varanasi tourism, Vastiputraka, Vastiputraka School
The Thai Temple – The Mrigadayavana Mahavihara Society
About 350 m north towards the Chaukhandi Stupa on the main road going to the Museum and archaeological site, one meets the Thai Temple on the left. Under the leadership of Ven. Phrakru Prakassmadhikun a group of Thai pilgrims visited Sarnath in 1969 to pay homage to Lord Buddha. This group visited all the sacred Buddhist sites in India. Though the leader of the group was pleased to find quite an appreciable number of Buddhists in India, he was quite justifiably concerned to see a negligible number of Buddhist temples and institutions. With this feeling, on 27th January 1969 a committee was constituted to develop a temple compound and an associated institution. The foundation stone was laid on 28 November 1974, and on 10 February 1976 this was opened for visitors. The recently built temple of the Hinayana sect (in 1993) in this compound, contains the stone statue of the Buddha in posture of bhumisparshatnudra, “the earth-touching gesture”, symbolising the Buddha’s response by calling the earth-spirit to witness his enlightenment. The underground hall of this temple is used as meditation hall. A primary school (grade 1° to 5°’) is also attached to the temple. The headquarters of the temple trust, Mrigadayavana Mahavihara Foundation, is in Bangkok (Thailand). About 185 in north on the main road, you can get off the vehicle to see the museum and walk around the archaeological site, the religious monuments and the Deer Park.
The Thai Temple Map
Incoming search terms:
Category: Sarnath /
Tags: Bangkok, bhumisparshatnudra, Buddhaâ, Buddhist, Buddhists, Chaukhandi, enlightenment, Hinayana, India, institution, Lord Buddha, Mahavihara, meditation, Mrigadayavana, museum, Phrakru, Prakassmadhikun, sarnath, Society, stupa, temple, Thai, Thailand, varanasi tourism