This massive stupa is located at about 13 kms from Varanasi in Sarnath. The stupa dates to 500 CE, and it was constructed to replace an earlier stupa commissioned by Emperor Ashoka in 249 BCE along with several other monuments. In fact, the emperor had...
Located about 13 kilometres from Varanasi in Sarnath, Chaukhandi Stupa is greatly revered by the Buddhist community. Stupas trace their roots to burial moulds and house relics related to Buddha. It is believed that the Chaukhandi stupa was originally built as a...
The pillars of Ashoka are actually a series of columns found in north India. As the name suggests, these pillars were commissioned by Emperor Ashoka during his reign in the 3rd century. All these pillars averaged between forty and fifty feet in height and also...
Sarnath is intrinsically linked with the birth and evolution of Buddhism in India. It is here that Buddha delivered his first sermon to his first five disciples and gave the world the principle of dharma, the four noble truths and the eight-fold path. Later,...
Deer Park in Sarnath is of great significance to the Buddhists because it was here that Gautama Buddha first preached Dharma. It is also here that the first Sangha came into existence when Kondanna, the first arihant achieved enlightenment and formed the Buddhist...
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has been conducting excavations at Sarnath since 1907. Over the years, it has unveiled several facets related to Buddhism history from its origin to its evolution. The main excavation site comprises several monuments and...
Being a major Buddhist pilgrim destination, Sarnath attracts visitors from across the globe especially from the Buddhist dominated countries such as Japan, Thailand and China. Most people from these countries have their temples here.
The Thai temple has...
Set amidst the ancient ruins of Sarnath, Mulagandha Kuti Vihar has a distinct architecture which is very different from that of the other temples. This is because the temple is a more recent addition, constructed by Maha Bodhi society in 1931. The temple is very...
It is here in Sarnath that Lord Buddha turned the wheels of dharma and outlined the four noble truths and the eight fold path. It is in Sarnath that Buddhism took roots, flourished and then spread to the rest of the world. It is little wonder then that Sarnath...