Buddhist Sites

Sanchi’s importance as a major pilgrimage center began to increase from the time when Ashoka the Mauryan Emperor tied the knot with a woman from Besnagar, a place situated close by. Ashoka then went on to construct a glazed stone pillar and a stupa built of brick and mortar. These constructions were a significant landmark in the history of Sanchi. They can be traced back to the 3rd century BC. The complex was refurbished and additions and alterations were made by the successive dynasties, but the waning of Buddhism brought in its wake the decline of Sanchi that lay abandoned for a considerable time, till it was brought to life in the year 1818 by General Taylor of the Bengali cavalry.

On flipping through the pages of the history of Sanchi, you would stumble upon a lot of interesting information on the historical background of Sanchi that would have otherwise remained under covers. Restoration activity in Sanchi gained a fillip during the 20th century which saw the reconstruction of the chief stupas. However the major restoration work was undertaken by archaeologist John Marshall and the Buddhist scholar Albert Foucher in 1912. Beautiful parks and museums also came up. Due to its strong association with Buddhism and the life of Lord Buddha, Sanchi was ascribed the status of a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The history of Shravasti Uttar Pradeshhas a new face according to various legends and myths. According to the epic Ramayana, Shravasti was a city created for Lav (one of the sons of King Rama). Rama divided his Kingdom- the kingdom of Kosala into two parts and made Lav the king of Shravasti and another son Kusha the king of Kushavati- another town in Kosala.

According to the other Indian epic Mahabharata, the History of Shravasti in India can be traced to the legendary king Shravasta. Whereas according to the Buddhist tradition, the city was called Savatthi because the sage Savattha lived there. According to another legend the name Shravasti originated from "Sabbam atthi" (meaning "we have all things") denoting the peace and prosperity of the people of the region.

Gautama Buddha passed the greater part of his monastic life in Shravasti, then known as Savatthi. His first visit to Shravasti was at the invitation of Anathapindika, whom he met in Rajagaha. The chief patrons of the Buddha in Savatthi were Anathapindika, Visakha, Suppavasa and Pasenadi. When Bandhula left Vesali he came to live in Savatthi.

This ancient city is hailed as the birthplace of the founder of Jainism- Tirthanakar. The History of Shravasti in Uttar Pradeshin India according to modern historians however, begins with the formation of Janpad's by Yugadidev Shri Adishwar Prabhu. This place was the capital city of North Kaushal Janpad. Many Jain Kings such as King Jitari, Shri Sambhavnath Bhagwan and others ruled this place after Bhagwan Adinath.

King Prasanjeet ruled Shravasti at the time of Bhagwan Mahaveer and was a loyal follower of Prabhu Veer. However, the most important phase in the history of Shravasti Uttar Pradeshcomes with the time of Samrat Ashok. Ashok and his grand son King Samprati also constructed quite a few Buddhist temples and Stoopas at Shravasti.

The History of Sarnath India began with the arrival of Gautam Buddha at this place in 528 B.C. after he attained enlightenment at Bodh Gaya. Here he preached his first discourse to his five former companions. This event is described in Buddhist texts as dharmachakra – pravartana, meaning the turning of the Wheel of Law. The Buddha taught them al that he had learned and thus they also became enlightened. This marked the foundation of the first Buddhist Sangha or the community of monks.

According to the History of Sarnath Uttar Pradesh, the Chinese traveler Hiouen Thsang had mentioned that the Deer Park at Sarnath was the forest gifted by the king of Benares of the Jataka, as a place where the deer might roan around unmolested. Thus Sarnath came to be named as ‘Migadaya’, so called because the deer could wander unharmed.

History of Sarnath India also mentions that the first preaching delivered by the Buddha at Sarnath is known in Pali as the Dhammacakkhapavathana Sutta. Other Suttas delivered here include Anattalakhana Sutta and the Saccavibhanga Sutta. The Buddha’s main teachings after his enlightenment centered around the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.

After preaching his first discourse at Sarnath, the Buddha spent the next rainy season at the Mulagandhakuti vihara in Sarnath. By then, the Buddhist Sangha had grown to 60 in number. The Buddha then sent the members of the Sangha to preach his teachings all around.

The flourish of Buddhism in Sarnath can be attributed to a large extent to the support of kings and wealthy merchants inhabiting the region. By the 3rd century B.C., Sarnath had flourished as a major center for arts, and the town reached its zenith during the Gupta reign (4th -6th century A.D.). According to the History of Sarnath Uttar Pradesh, when the Chinese traveler Hsuan Tsang visited Sarnath in the 7th century, there were 30 monasteries and 3000 monks living in Sarnath.

Sarnath came to be a major center of the Sammatiya school of Buddhism, one of the Nikaya or Hinayana schools. The occurrence of images of Heruka and Tara at Sarntah monasteries indicate that Vajrayana Buddhism also flourished here.

The end of the 12th centyru saw Sarnath being ransacked by Turkish Muslims. The site was extensively plundered for building materials and has been lying in ruins since then. Thereafter, Sarnath remained completely deserted until 1836, when the British began excavations and restoration of this historic city.

Rajgir, "House of the King", is an important religious place for Hindus, Buddhists and Jains. This ancient town has reference in Mahabharata, Buddhist and Jain texts.

Rajgir was the ancient capital city of the Magadha kings until the 5th century BC. Jarasanadh who hailed from this place had defeated Krishna 18 times. Mahabharata reco unts a wrestling match between Bhima and Jarasandh, the then king of Rajgir. Jarasandh was invincible as his body could rejoin any dismembered limbs. According to the legend, Bhim split Jarasandh into two and threw the two halves facing opposite to each other so that they could not join.

It was at this place the Gautam Buddha spent several months meditating, and preaching at Griddhkuta,(Hill of the Vultures'). He also delivered some of his famous sermons and converted King Bimbisara of Magadha and countless others to his religion. Rajgir is also famous for its association with Maurya Kings Bimbsara and Ajatashatru. Ajatshatru kept his father Bimbsara in captivity here. On one of the hills is the cave of Saptparni where the first Buddhist Council was held under the leadership of Bhikshu Kashyap. The Saptparni cave is also the source of the Rajgir Hot Water Springs that have curative properties and are sacred to the Hindus, Buddhists and Jains. Today an aerial ropeway provides the link with a hilltop stupa "Peace Pagoda" built by the Japanese.

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Rajgir was the capital of the Magadh Mahajanpad before Patliputra was formed. In those days it was called Rajgrih. Rajgir, or Rajgrih, which means "Tthe Home of Royalty" has been associated with Lord Buddha and Buddhism.

Buddha, apart from spending several years in Rajgir, also delivered sermons here. The Jivekarmavan monastery was the favorite residence for Buddha. The teachings of Buddha were penned down at Rajgir and it was also the venue for the first Buddhist Council.

The history of Nalanda is deeply connected with the Buddhism during its early stages. Buddha himself visited Nalanda several times.

THE history of Nalanda, the ancient university town of Bihar, goes back to the days of Buddha and Mahavira in the Sixth Century B.C. The town was home to Nalanda Mahavihara, a monastic university of international repute.

There are many versions of what the term nalanda means. One is that nalam (lotus) and da (to give) combine to mean "giver of the lotus". Since the lotus is supposed to represent knowledge, Nalandameans "giver of knowledge". The university of Nalanda, a suburb of Rajgir in ancient times, is just off the main road from Rajgir to Patna.

Both Buddha and Mahavira often stayed at Nalanda during the rainy season. Buddhist scriptures reveal that they once stayed at Nalanda at the same time, but there is no record of them meeting one another.

Ancient Buddhist sources say that Asoka, the Mauryan emperor (Third Century B.C) built a temple at Nalanda. It was a flourishing hub where the philosopher and alchemist, Nagarjuna, studied and taught in the Second Century A.D. However, excavations have not revealed anything to suggest that the site was occupied before the Gupta period (Fifth Century A.D.), the earliest finds being a copper plate of Samudragupta and a coin of Kumaragupta (414-455 A.D.). Fa-Hien who visited in the Fifth Century A.D. makes no mention of the massive monastic establishments at Nalanda. But Hiuen Tsang who came in A.D 637 during Harsha's reign (606-647 A.D.) refers to the great monastery that Harsha endowed with liberal grants.

Modern District of Nalanda with HQ Biiharsharif was established on Nov 9, 1972. Earlier it was Biharsharif sub-division of Patna district.

Kushinagar was a celebrated center of the Malla kingdom of ancient India. At this location, near the Hiranyavati River, Gautama Buddha attained Parinirvana (passed away), and was cremated.

Many of the ruined stupas and viharas at Kushinagara date back to 3rd century BC to the 5th century AD when prosperity was at its peak. The Mauryan emperor Ashoka is known to have contributed to significant construction at this site.

Prior to its rediscovery in the nineteenth century, there was a silence of more than half a millennium at Kasia. Due possibily to violent invasions, Kushinagar lost its vitality and eventually was neglected. The notable Buddha Temple, when rediscovered, was covered in a 40 foot high mound of bricks surrounded by a dense thorny forest.

Excavations began in the late 1800s and many important remnants of the main site such as the Matha Kuar and Ramabhar stupa were unveiled.

Situated by the banks of River Phalgu, Bodhgaya is the holiest of all Buddhist pilgrim destination in entire world. It was here an entire new religion was born out of one man who went on to be known as Lord Buddha and the religion was called Buddhism. Prince Siddhartha who renounced all worldly connections and set out in search of truth, attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree here. The entire life of Bodhgaya revolves around this most revered tree in the world. A huge complex containing many international monasteries and temples have come up around the tree. Bodhgaya acquired importance during the period of Lord Buddha itself, but the temples started coming up only in the 7th century. During the 16th century, Buddhism here started declining. But once the excavations were started by British archaeologists and its true significance was established, Buddhist pilgrims from all over the world started visiting Bodhgaya. Thus making it the most important pilgrim site of international Buddhism.

The best time to visit Bodhgaya is between November and February when thousands of exiled Tibetans come here to attend the ceremonies and lectures under the Bodhi Tree. Buddhist monks from other Buddhist countries too come here during this period. And if one is looking for some solitary and peaceful holidays, then there is no place better than Bodhgaya for the purpose.