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Buddha in Sarnath

After his first sermon in the Isapatana  Deer Park in Sarnath, Buddha continued to live for many months in this city and spent his time teaching. This is how Sarnath became a major Buddhist center and continued to prosper for centuries, enjoying the support of local rulers as well as the wealthy merchants of Benares.

Several stupas were erected in Sarnath and many monasteries were founded there. At its peak, Sarnath numbered nearly 30 monasteries, together hosting more than 3,000 monks.

Sarnath's decline

But at the beginning of the 11th century, Sarnath was ravaged by the Afghans led by Mahmoud of Ghazni and the site was razed at the end of the same 11th century by the Sultan of Dellhi. It was a great catastrophe for the Buddhists because this destruction of a holy place dealt a fatal blow to the development of the Buddhist religion which declined rapidly in India until its virtual disappearance.

Rediscovering Sarnath

Sarnath gradually fell into oblivion and it was not until the end of the 18th century that the site aroused renewed interest. No religious fervor in this rediscovery of this important ancient Buddhist religious center. The Dharmarajika stupa (or Dhanmek stupa) had remained standing, and the ruler of Benares at the time considered that this immense reserve of bricks could be used as building material. Buddha had to turn around in his grave ...

But during this work, a green marble box contained in a stone chest was discovered, which sparked new interest in the site. This box contained bone fragments, pearls, rubies and gold. Nowadays, this precious treasure has disappeared but the stone chest is kept at the Indian Museum in Calcutta.

This discovery would be of interest to treasure hunters of all stripes, and if no other box containing jewels was discovered, the numerous excavations made it possible to bring to light the ruins of stupas and monasteries.

Mulagandhakuti Vihara temple 

Near the Dhamek stupa stands the Mulagandhakuti Vihara temple which is said to be at the exact place where Gautama (the Buddha) lodged when he was in Sarnath. The stone temple mimics the wooden house where Buddha lived and has been rebuilt many times. The first construction of this temple dates from the Gupta period (3rd to 6th century CE) and the current version dates from the 1930s.

about the place, Sarnath:

Sarnath, a small town near Varanasi, was the place where the Buddha delivered his first sermon. Sarnath thus became one of the four holy places of Buddhism in India. Buddha remained several months in Sarnath where he had found a shelter to pass the monsoon season.

Spoken comments in the film: 

A few kilometers from Varanasi, in the state of Uttar Pradesh in northern India, is the place where Buddha gave his first sermon, the holy city of Buddhism, Sarnath. Tradition has it that this sermon was pronounced under a Bodhi tree, at the exact spot where this Buddhist temple was erected in the 1930s.

The first construction of this temple dates from the Gupta period between the 3rd and 5th century. This temple has been rebuilt many times. The interior is decorated with paintings relating the life of Buddha in Sarnath.

A côté du temple Mulagandhakuti Vihara se dresse un vieux stupa, le stupa Dhamek, datant du début de notre ère, quand Sarnath était à son apogée, le principal  centre culturel et religieux du monde bouddhiste.