Sarnath - Where Buddha spoke First!!

 

We visited Sarnath recently, as part of the Buddhayana trail arranged by the Heritage India group. Although, I had read enough and more about Sarnath, right from my school days, the site was a real surprise!

What we were witnessing were ruins 1500 - 2000 years old. Yet the systematic overall  planning of the complex, as well as the scale & proportions of the various buildings left me wonder struck. There was also a sense of calmness and serenity, inherent to the place which made the entire visit a delightful experience, not to mention the Greenery all around.

Overall Site

Site Plan of the Complex

Spread over     acres, Sarnath is broadly divided into 2 groups of monuments Group "A" is represented by the Chaukhandi Stupa, while all other monuments (e.g., temples, stupas, monasteries, and the pillar of Ashoka) are included as part of group "B".

Since Chaukandi Stupa was under renovation, we spent time only on the Group B Monuments.

As we approached along the pathway, the sun dappled pathways overlook the green vista dotted with the reddish brown, low level structures. Suddenly the stupa emerges into view and dominates the skyline.

The view is mesmerising, with all other ruins acting as a collective foreground for its beauty and scale.

                                                                                    

Before we get into the details of the various buildings, let us look at the importance of Sarnath in its religious and historic context

Sarnath and Buddha

Sarnath is one of the four most important Buddhist pilgrimage sites in the world, the other three being Lumbini (where Buddha was born), Bodhgaya (where Buddha attained enlightenment), and Kushinagar (where Buddha attained Parinirvana). 

Also known as Mrigadava, Migadāya, Rishipattana & Isipatana, the name refers to the deer park where Gautama Buddha first taught the Dharma, and where the Buddhist Sangha came into existence.

Gautama Buddha 

Life of Buddha - At Sarnath Museum

Siddhartha Gautama was born to a royal family of the Shakya dynasty sometime in the 6th century B.C. His mother died just a few days later, and the young prince was brought up by his father in a palace completely shielded from the realities of the outside world. Anything Gautama wanted his father would provide instantly. As he grew up, Gautama was allowed out of the palace on a few rare occasions, and it is during these forays out into the “real world” that he started to witness at first hand the level of human suffering that existed beyond the palace walls.

Although Gautama would go on to marry and even become a father, at the age of 29 he left the royal palace and adopted a life of wandering and meditation in order to understand the nature of human suffering.

After a period of harsh self-discipline, he decided to stop his extreme ascetic practices and sat down to meditate under a pipal tree with the determination not to get up until full awakening (sammā-sambodhi) had been reached. That tree where he attained enlightenment is known as the Bodhi tree, in Bodh Gaya in modern day Bihar.

Gautama thus became known as the Buddha or “Awakened One”, and travelled to Banaras (Varanasi) to teach others the truths he had realised. In a grove filled with deer just outside Banaras at a place called Mrigadaya (or Sarnath) he delivered his first sermon to a small group of five people who were to become his first followers. Buddha set in motion the wheel of Buddhist law (dhamma), and here at Sarnath first preached the Four Noble Truths, which are :

1. All life is suffering.
2. Suffering is caused by desire.
3. We may end suffering by removing craving and passion since all that we desire is perishable and changing.
4. We can get rid of craving and passion by methodically following a path.

The path he laid out consists of correct aspirations, correct views, correct speech, correct conduct, correct mindfulness, correct livelihood, correct effort and correct meditation. Following this path leads to the end of sorrow and to the attainment of peace, enlightenment, and nirvana.

Sarnath - Historical Context

Located about 13kms Northeast of Varanasi (India's famous religious town in Uttar Pradesh), Sarnath is near the confluence of the rivers Ganges & Varuna. This is the place, where around 528 BC, Gautama Buddha gave his first sermon. This first sermon was given to His first 5 disciples, who had been his companions earlier and who had abandoned him midway, in his struggle to find the middle path. 

These 5 disciples, Kaundinya, Assaji, Bhaddiya, Vappa and Mahanama had moved on to Sarnath; hence Sarnath became the designated spot for the first sermon. Buddha began the Way of Buddhism here, by preaching about Dharma for the first time. This sermon, called the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, was given on the full-moon day of Asalha.  Kaundinya was his first disciple who attained enlightenment.

Sarnath is also the place, where Buddha laid the foundation of his “Sanga”, or the order of monks. Yasa, the son of a rich householder in Banaras, together with 54 of his friends was attracted by Buddha’s teachings. With them and the five monks that witnessed Buddha’s first teachings, the first Sangha of 60 monks was founded who were sent to various destinations to preach Buddha’s dharma. Buddha subsequently spent his first rainy season at Sarnath, at the Mulagandhakuti Vihara. 

After Buddha's death, Sarnath became an important center for teaching and practicing Buddhism until the twelfth century C.E., when the Turkish armies ransacked the site.

Sarnath is equally sacred to Jains being the venue of austerities and death of Sreyansanath, the eleventh Tirthankara.

Sarnath - after Buddha

Two hundred years after Buddha’s enlightenment came Ashoka, the great Mauryan emperor, who is famous in the history of Buddhism. The Kalinga war of 261 B.C. in modern day Odisha was a turning point for Ashoka. After witnessing the unimaginable loss of human life, he renounced violence and adopted a doctrine of welfare to the common people, promoting Buddhism across ancient Asia.

The reborn Ashoka almost immediately went on a pilgrimage to all the places associated with Buddha, and raised tall pillars and other monuments such as stupas to memorialise Buddha and his teachings. Owing to the sanctity of the site, Sarnath rapidly became one of the leading pilgrimage places of Buddhism.  The ruins that can be seen at Sarnath today are from the time of Ashoka through to the 12th century A.D.

 Sarnath at that time was a large Vihara with thousands of monks residing there. Evidence of this can be seen from

• the Mahavamsa, where it is stated that around 2^nd century BCE, at the foundation ceremony of the Mahā Thūpa in Anurādhapura, twelve thousand monks had been present from Isipatana, led by the Elder Dhammasena.
•  Xuan Tsang found, at Isipatana, fifteen hundred monks studying the Hīnayāna. In the enclosure of the Sanghārāma stood a vihāra about two hundred feet high, strongly built, its roof surmounted by a golden figure of the mango. In the center of the vihāra, a life-size statue of the Buddha turning the wheel of the Law stood. To the south-west, was the remains of a stone stupa built by King Asoka. 

 Buddhism flourished in Sarnath, in part because of kings and wealthy merchants based in Varanasi. By the third century, Sarnath had become an important center for the arts, which reached its zenith during the Gupta period (fourth to sixth centuries CE.). In the seventh century, by the time Xuan Sang visited from China, he found thirty monasteries and 3000 monks living at Sarnath.

 Sarnath became a major center of the Sammatiya school of Buddhism, one of the early Buddhist schools. The presence of images of Heruka and Tara indicate that monks practiced (at a later time) Vajrayana Buddhism here.

 At the end of the twelfth century, Turkish Muslims ransacked Sarnath, and the site was subsequently plundered for building materials. 

Archaeological Excavations

The archaeological significance of the place was first brought to the notice of modern world by Mr. J. Duncan in 1798 who gave an account of the casket of green marble inside a stone box exposed by the workmen of Jagat Singh, the Dewan of King Chet Singh of Benaras while dismantling the Dharmarajika stupa to exploit building materials. 

 Excavations carried out by Archaeological Survey of India on large scale from time to time has revealed a number of monasteries, stupas, temples, inscriptions, sculptures and other antiquities ranging in date from 3rd century B.C. to 12th century A.D

The first formal excavations at Sarnath commenced in 1815 by Colonel Colin Mackenzie, although these were relatively unsuccessful. Major Markham Kittoe also worked here in 1851/52 but he had an untimely death and details of his excavations were never published.

The most significant early archaeological excavations at Sarnath were conducted by Alexander Cunningham from 1834 to 1836. He excavated the main stupas here along with exposing the remains of monasteries and temples. Both Kittoe and Cunningham collected a large number of statues, inscriptions, votive stupas, and sculptured panels, many of which are displayed in the nearby Archaeological Museum.

The religious centre of the complex at Sarnath was discovered by Friedrich Oertel, who excavated the Main Shrine in 1904-05. It is here that some of the most wonderful works of art and historically important artifacts were uncovered, such as the Ashokan Pillar with its world famous Lion Capital, the famous 5th century preaching Buddha, and the Bodhisattva statue with umbrella and stand dated to the year 81 A.D. In total Oertel recovered 476 pieces of sculpture and over 40 inscriptions. All these are stored in the Archaeological Museum, Sarnath.

Sir John Marshall’s excavations in 1907/08 opened up a large area of the site and exposed the remains of 3 monasteries, some underlying the remains of later structures, in addition to finding the remains of a co-called “hospital” near to the Main Shrine.

The last major excavation work was conducted by Daya Ram Sahni and commenced in 1921. He exposed structures between the Dhamekh Stupa and the Main Shrine as well as discovering an underground passageway between Monastery I and Monastery II. Totally there were five seasons of excavations.

As of Today…

The remains of structures that can be seen today at Sarnath date from the 3rd century B.C. to the 12th century A.D. In many cases buildings have been erected over the top of the remains of earlier structures.

 

Some of the important buildings that we saw included

The Dhamek (Commemorative) Stupa ...

The Dhamek Stupa

Standing over 40m tall, the Dhamekh Stupa dominates the Buddhist complex at Sarnath. This solid cylindrical tower consists of a circular stone drum sitting on a rectangular basement. Supposedly each layer of stones  is bonded by iron clamps. This tower is about 28.5 mts in diameter at base and is veneered with sand stone upto the height of 11.20 mts and provided with niches in eight directions which must have once held images. Below the niches runs a broad course of beautifully carved elaborate ornamentation which represents high skill of workmanship on stone during Gupta period.

Dhamek Stupa marks the precise location where Buddha preached his first discourse to his first five disciples. While the Basement has survived from Ashoka's structure, the stone facing displaying delicate floral carvings is characteristic of the Gupta era. The wall is covered with exquisitely carved figures of humans and birds, as well as inscriptions in Brahmi script. Above the stone drum is a cylindrical tower made from red bricks.

The stupa was enlarged on six occasions but the upper part is still unfinished. While visiting Sarnath in 640 CE, Xuan Sang recorded that the colony had over 1,500 priests and the main stupa was nearly 300 feet (91 m) high.

Carvings on the walls

The area to the east of the stupa is grassed, and is one of the focal points for those visiting the stupa to worship, meditate, or just sit and be for a while. When Cunningham was excavating here, he dug a vertical shaft down through the centre of the stupa to the foundation layers. There at a depth of over 90m he found a slab with the Buddhist creed in script attributable to the 6th-7th century A.D. which must have been inserted at a later date. His excavations also revealed an earlier brick-built core to the stupa, indicating that this stupa was also enlarged over the centuries and was orginally much smaller. The scale and elaborate stonework of the Dhamekh Stupa suggests that this is the most important and sacred structure in the complex.  The Dharmarajika (Relic) Stupa ... This is the stupa that was largely destroyed by Jagat Singh in 1794. It is thought that the original stupa was built by Ashoka in the 3rd century B.C. and was then subsequently enlarged at least 5 times. It is known as The Dharmarajika stupa, after the 10th century inscription.  It is referred to in the texts that after dividing the ashes of the Lord obtained from reopening seven of the earlier stupas, Asoka got many stupas constructed at Buddhist sites with the same name- Dharmarajika. That he also had constructed a stupa at Mrigadaya is recorded in the Buddhist texts. Xuan Sang further confirms this. The Dharmarajika stupa of Sarnath is said to have had five constructional phases, dating between Mauryan and the early medieval periods. The original stupa, according to Marshall and Konow, date back to the time of Asoka. The anda or the dome of this stupa, a loosely constructed masonry, measured 44'3" (approximately 18m), and was composed of bricks (measuring 19½" x14½"x2½" and 16½"x12½"x3½"), mostly wedge- shaped , “the smaller end being laid nearer the centre of the stupa; but no effort made to bond the courses together”. The stupa was also covered with a thick layer of concrete. The cylindrical green marble relic casket containing a circular stone box, which was recovered from this structure during the eighteenth century, was found at a depth of 18 cubit below the surface, perhaps kept in the centre of the dome constructed during the time of Asoka.  Along its circumference was 4.5-4.8 meter (15’-16’) wide ambulatory floor, which was also a brick construction. The width of this passage was 15’-16’, and it was encircled by a brick wall (4’5’’ high and 3’4’’thick), with four openings at four cardinal points. The excavators state that this: ‘’is the first example that we have in India of a Pradakshina closed in with a solid wall; instead of an open railing’’  As of now, only the foundations remain. The rest of the Dharmarajika Stupa had been removed to Varanasi as building materials in the eighteenth century. At that time, relics found in the Dharmarajika Stupa had been thrown in the Ganges river Two outstanding images were found here, that can be seen in the museum; the red sandstone Bodhisattva dated to 81 A.D. and the image of Buddha in the preaching attitude. The Main Shrine ... Approximately 20m north of the Dharmarajika Stupa is the Main Shrine, the remains of which are a shadow of what once stood here. The famous Chinese Buddhist monk-scholar Xuan Sang traveled extensively throughout northern India between 634 and 645 A.D, and noted that the main shrine here was over 60m high. Although mostly built of red bricks it also incorporates carved masonry from earlier structures. Below the foundations of the shrine Oertel discovered plain polished monolithic Ashokan railings which it’s assumed were once part of the nearby Dharmarajika Stupa Excavations below the path around the Main Shrine uncovered votive slabs dating to the 1st century B.C. The Ashokan Pillar ... Immediately west of the Main Shrine stands the remains of the Ashokan Pillar behind glass, the lowest part of the pillar still in-situ.The pillar once stood to a height of 5.25m and was crowned by the famous Lion Capital which was adopted as the official emblem of India after independence in 1950. The "Lion Capital of Asoka" is presently on display at the Sarnath Museum. It was broken during Turkish invasions, yet the base still stands at the original location. The pillar bears three inscriptions, the earliest is an edict of Ashoka (known as the Schism edict) in Brahmi characters, where the emperor warns the monks and nuns against creating divisions in the sangha.

The Votive Stupas...

Sarnath had developed as an important Buddhist pilgrimage centre. To get universal beneficial joy, the devotees had constructed numbers of votive stupas from time to time within the premises of Sarnath Ruins. 

These votive stupas are situated on three sides of ancient Mulgandh Kuti Vihara (Shrine). Altogether 172 votive stupas are situated towards north-east, 72 votive stupas are situated towards north-west and 115 are towards south-west.
These clusters of votive stupas were constructed as well as renovated from Pre-Mauryan Period to 12th century A.D.

They are built by devotees, either as their Relic stupas or as platforms for meditation.

The Mulagandhakuti Vihara...

The ruins of the ancient Mulagandhakuti Vihara mark the place where the Buddha spent his first rainy season. This was the main temple marked by the presence of the Ashokan pillar at the front. The 5th-century CE sandstone sculpture of Buddha Preaching his First Sermon was found in the vicinity.

The Rectangle Court ...

Between the Dhamekh Stupa and the Main Shrine is a large rectangular court and courtyard. A large number of brick built ruined shrines reside here, along with some votive stupas. Clearly this was the original route one took from the Main Shrine to the Dhamekh Stupa

The Panchayatana Temple ...

Located immediately south of the courtyard is a curious sunken brick built shrine with a modern roof cover. Dating to the Gupta period, in plan this looks like small Hindu Panchayatana Temple. Although its true origins are unknown, in the Theravada Buddhist tradition it is a revered building, and recognised as the place where the merchant Yasa converted to Buddhism after the first sermon.

The Miniature Sculptures ...

Many of the brick structures had stone panels with miniature Sculptures of amazing beauty and detail.

These were probably recovered from ruins and haphazardly laid out. Yet they reflected the high level of artistic skill that existed during the Gupta period.

What we could not see at Saranath included the  Chowkhundi Temple (under renovation), the Monasteries and the Museum, since we visited on a Friday, which was a Holiday for the Museum.

The serenity and calmness found in the place as well as the amazing sense of planning and order felt, even amongst the ruins, made Sarnath, one of the most memorable sites visited during this trip.

The Master planning of this large complex and design of individual buildings, complete with their detailing and ornamentation, all done almost 1500 - 2000 years ago leaves one wonder struck at the skill level and visualisation capacity of our people.