Sublime Sarnath

About eight kilometres from Varanasi lies ‘Sarnath’. A small town, quiet and quaint in appearance, Sarnath has a very ancient history. It is said that the Buddha after attaining enlightenment at Bodhgaya, proceeded to this place and for the first time taught the ‘Dharma’ to his five disciples, and sent them in various directions to preach it. The archeological excavations also reveal the existence of a large monastery, constructed using brick and clay.

The Buddha teaching Dharma

Engaging the services of a guide, we proceeded towards ‘Mulagandha kuti vihara’, the main shrine of Sarnath. “This was the place where the Buddha used to sit in meditation” the guide told us. “The structure was erected during the Gupta period.” The temple appeared to have undergone many alterations in the subsequent periods. An image of the Buddha in the preaching position formed the main deity, while the life of the Buddha from his birth unto nirvana was depicted along the walls by paintings. 

Mulagandha kuti vihara

The Buddha inside the vihara

The Dharmekh stupa

About a hundred meters from the temple was the famous Sarnath stupa – the Dharmekh stupa. According to our guide, this stupa was constructed by emperor Ashoka and it contained the relics of the Buddha. I was fascinated by this large solid structure with its beautiful carvings. “These carvings form the basis for the designs of the Benaras silk sarees”, said the guide. The lower part of the stupa was constructed using stones, while the upper part which had lost its plaster revealed brick work.

After a visit to a Jain temple nearby, we made our way towards the archeological excavations. These revealed a large number of halls and rooms with brick walls, and round structures used for seating. While we were going through the remains of the monastery, a Japanese organization was doing a video shoot. The influence of Buddhism can be felt more in Japan, China, and other south east Asian countries like Burma, Thailand, Malaysia and Srilanka than in India. Explorators from these countries had built their own shrines, in which were placed the idols found in their countries. In between the remains of the monastery stood the Ashokan pillar, which was at one time surmounted by a four faced lion capital. Our national emblem had its origin from this lion capital, which now decorates the main hall of the Sarnath museum.

The excavation site

After having a look at the magnificent idol of Buddha in the Burmese shrine, we proceeded towards the museum. The lion capital placed on a round abacus, which stands on an inverted lotus shaped pedestal, bound us by its magnetic spell of attraction. The sculpture has a vigorous workmanship. On the abacus are carved a bull, a horse, an elephant and a lion, separated by a smaller wheel or dharmachakra. On top of the four lions was once present a larger wheel with thirty two spokes, of which only four spokes had been recovered. The other antique pieces in the museum consisted of the idols and sculptures recovered from the excavations. Apart from the many sculptures of Boddhisatva and Buddha, there were also idols of Vishnu and Shiva along with their consorts. This gives vent to the idea, that the revival of Hinduism during the Gupta period might have led to the decline of Buddhism.

Taking with us, the memories of a great place, we now started back to Varanasi and thence home. Allahabad, Varanasi and Sarnath are just three places, which bring back the reminiscences of India’s cultural past. Each and every part of India possesses a vast cultural heritage and is worth visiting.