Sarnath
or Sarnatha (also Mrgadava, Megadaya, Rishipattana, Isipatana) is a dear park
where Gautam Budha first taught the Dharma or delivered his first sermon,
Dhamma Chakka Pavattana to his five ascetics (kondanna, Vappa, Bhaddiya,
Mahanama and Assaji), and where the Budhist Sangha came into existence through
the enlightenment of Kondanna. Sarnath is located 13 Kilometeres north –east of
Varanasi, in Uttar Pradesh, India. Sunghpur a village one km away from the
site, was the birth place of Shreyansanath the eleventh Trithankara of Jainism
and temple dedicated to him, is an important site.
Isipatana
is mentioned by the Buddha, day before his Niryana, along with Lumbini, Bodh Gaya and
Kushinagar, as one of the four places of pilgrimages which his devout followers
should visit, if they wanted to visit a place for that reason. It makes
Sarnath, one of the most venerated Budhist places. The earliest remains here at
Sarnath are from the Mauryan period ascribed to Emperor Ashoka.
Mrigadava means
"deer-park". Isipatana is the name used in the Pali Canon,
and means the place where holy men (Pali: isi, Sanskrit: rishi) fell to earth.
The
legend says that when the Buddha-to-be was born, some devas came down to
announce it to 500 rishis. The rishis all rose into the air and disappeared and
their relics fell to the ground. Another explanation for the name is that
Isipatana was so called because sages, on their way through the air (from the
Himalayas), alight here or start from here on their aerial flight. Pacceka
Buddhas, having spent seven days in contemplation in the Gandhamādana, bathe in
the Anotatta Lake and come to the habitations of men through the air, in search
of alms. They descend to earth at Isipatana. Sometimes the Pacceka Buddhas
come to Isipatana from Nandamulaka-Pabbhara.
Xuanzang quotes
the Nigrodhamiga Jātaka (J.i.145ff) to account for the origin of the Migadaya. According to him the Deer Park was
the forest gifted by the king of Benares of the Jataka, where the deer might
wander unmolested. The Midgadaya was so-called because deer were allowed to
roam about there unmolested.
Sarnath,
from Saranganath, means "Lord of the Deer" and relates to
another old Buddhist story in which the Bodhisattava is a deer and offers his
life to a king instead of the doe the latter is planning to kill. The king is
so moved that he creates the park as a sanctuary for deer. The park is still
there today.
History
About
five week after his enlightenment in Bodhgaya, the Buddha went from Bodhyaya to
Sarnath seeking his five former companions to join and teach them. He went to
them because, using his spiritual powers, he had seen that his five former
companions would be able to understand Dharma quickly. While travelling to
Sarnath, Gautama Buddha had to cross the Ganges. Having no money with which to
pay the ferryman, he crossed the Ganges through the air. When King Bimbisara heard
of this, he abolished the toll for ascetics. When Gautama Buddha found his five
former companions, he taught them, they understood and as a result they also
became enlightened. This event is referred to as "the turning of the wheel
of the Dharma" and also marks the founding of the Sangha, or the community
of monks The sermon Buddha gave to the
five monks was his first sermon, called the Dhammacakkapavattana Suta. It was
given on the full-moon day of Asalha month. Buddha subsequently also spent
his first rainy season at Sarnath at the Mulagandhakuti. The Sangha had
grown to 60 in number (after Yasa and his friends had become monks), and
Buddha sent them out in all directions to travel alone and teach the Dharma.
All 60 monks were Arahants.
Besides
the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta mentioned above, several other suttas were
preached by the Buddha while staying at Isipatana, among them. Other Suttas
include the Anattalakhana Suttaand the Saccavibhanga Sutta. The
Buddha's central teaching after his enlightenment centered around the Four
Noble Truths (concerning the meaning of life) and the Noble Eightfold Path
(concerning the right way to live).
Some
of the most eminent members of the Sangha seem to have resided at Isipatana
from time to time; among recorded conversations at Isipatana are several
between Sariputta and Mahkotthita, and one between Mahakotthita and
Citta-Hatthisariputta. Mention is made, too, of a discourse in which
several monks staying at Isipatana tried to help Channa in his
difficulties.
According
to the Udapana Jataka (J.ii.354ff ) there was a very ancient well near
Isipatana which, in the Buddha's time, was used by the monks living there.
Isipatana
after the Budha
According
to the Mahavamsa, there was a large community of monks at Isipatana in the
second century B.C. It is said that at the foundation ceremony of the Maha
Thupa in Anuradhaura, twelve thousand monks were present from Isipatana led by
the Elder Dhammasena.
The
Emperor Ashoka, who spread Lord Buddha's message of love and compassion
throughout his vast empire, visited Sarnath around 234 BC and constructed a
stupa here. The Ashoka pillar of Sarnath is the National emblem of India.
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 (4th to 6th
centuries CE). In the 7th century by the time Xuan Zang visited from
China, he found 30 monasteries and 3000 monks living at Sarnath.
Sarnath
became a major centre of the Sammativa school of Buddhism, one of the
early Budhist schools. However, the presence of images of Heruka and
Taraindicate that Vaijrayana Buddhism was (at a later time) also practiced
here. Also images of Brahminis gods as Shiva and Brahma were found at the
site, and there is still a Jain temple (at Chandrapuri) located very close
to the dhamekh Stupa.
At
the end of the 12th century Sarnath was sacked by Turkish Muslims, and the site
was subsequently plundered for building materials. The site was subsequently
plundered for building materials and has remained in ruins until the present day.
The site was entirely deserted until 1836, when the British began excavations
and restoration.
Legendary
characteristics of Isipatana
According
to the Buddhist commentarial scriptures, all the Budhas preach their first
sermon at the Migadha in Isipatana. It is one of the four avijahitathanani (unchanging
spots), the others being the Bodhi- Pallanka, the spot at the gate of Sankassa,
where the Buddha first touched the earth on his return from Tavatimsa, and the
site of the bed in the Gandhakuti in Jetavana. In past ages Isipatana sometimes
retained its own name, as it did in the time of Phussa Buddha (Bu.xix.18),
dhammadassi Buddha (BuA.182) and Kassapa Budha (BuA.218). Kassapa was born
there (ibid., 217). But more often Isipatana was known by different names (for
these names see under those of the different Buddhas). Thus in the time of
Vipassi Buddha it was known as
Khema-uyyāna. It is the custom for all Buddhas to go through the air to
Isipatana to preach their first sermon. Gotama Buddha, however, walked all the
way, eighteen leagues, because he knew that by so doing he would meet Upaka,
the Ajivaka, to whom he could be of service.
Places to
visit at Sarnath
Most
of the ancient buildings and structures at Sarnath were damaged or destroyed by
the Turks. However, amongst the ruins can be distinguished:
Dhamek
Stupa: The
Dhamek Stupa is an impressive 128 feet high and 93 feet in diameter.
Dhamek (the old Dharmachakra) Stupa still stands erect The Stupa was built
in a bright fortnight in the month of Ashar. Buddha revealed his first teaching
to the five disciples on this particular site. The Stupa underwent renovations
for six times. Its area was also expanding during each renovation. The lower
part of the Stupa (500 AD) is built of stone, while the upper part is of brick.
The octagonal stupa symbolises the eight paths to salvation. The radius of its
bottom is 28 meter. The tapering middle part is 13 meter high. With the
cylindrical pinnacle it goes up to a height of 31 meter. The decorative
patterns on the walls date back to the Gupta period. But the bricks are from
the Maury a times (200 BC). The common belief is that the Stupa contains the
bones of Buddha.
Dharmarajika
Stupa: The Dharmarajika
Stupa is one of the few pre-Ashokan stupas remaining, although only
the foundations remain. The rest of the Dharmarajika Stupa was removed to
Varanasi to be used as building materials in the 18h century. At that time,
also relics were found in the Dharmarajika Stupa. These relics were
subsequently thrown in the Ganges river.
Chaukhandi
Stupa: This
is the first monument to be seen as one enters the Sarnath. It commemorates
the spot where the Buddha met his first disciples, dating back to the fifth
century or earlier and later enhanced by the addition of an octagonal tower of
Islamic origin to mark the visit of Humayun. In recent years it is
undergoing restoration.
This
site is believed to be the place where the Buddha stopped to let the Five
Ascetics see him and welcome him as he entered the Deer Park.
Mulagandhakuti
Vihara:
The ruins of the Mulagandhakuti vihara mark the place where the Buddha
spent his first rainy season. The modern Mulagandhakuti Vihara is a monastery
built in the 1930s by the Sri Lankan Mahabodhi Society, with beautiful wall
paintings. Behind it is the Deer Park (where deer are still to be seen).
Ashoka
Pillar:
The majestic Ashoka Pillar records visit of Emperor Ashka to Sarnath. The
Ashoka Pillar erected here, originally surmounted by the “ Lion Capital of
Asoka” (presently on display at the Sarnath Museum), was broken during Turk
invasions but the base still stands at the original location.
Sarnath
Archeological Museum:
The Sarnath Archeological Museum houses the famous Ashokan lion Capital,
which miraculously survived its 45-foot drop to the ground (from the top of the
Ashokan Pillar), and became the National Emblem of India and national
symbol on the Indian flag. The museum also houses a famous and refined
Buddha-image of the Buddha in Dharmachakra-posture.
There
is also a Bodhi tree planted by Anagarika Dharmapala which was grown from
a cutting of the Bodhi Tree at Bodh Gaya.
Sarnath
has been developed as a place of pilgrimage, both for Buddhists from India and
abroad. A number of countries in which Buddhism is a major (or the dominant)
religion, among them Thailand, Japan, Tibet, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, have
established temples and monasteries in Sarnath in the style that is typical for
the respective country. Thus, pilgrims and visitors have the opportunity to
experience an overview of Buddhist architecture from various cultures.
