Sarnath and Ayodhya – Two Places of God

Sarnath: Sarnath also known as Mrigadava, Migadaya, Rishipattana and Isipatana. 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. Sarnath is the deer park where Gautama Buddha first taught the Dharma, and where the Buddhist Sangha came into existence through the enlightenment of Kondanna. Sarnath is located 13 kilometres north-east of Varanasi, in Uttar Pradesh, India. Sarnath, from Saranganath, means “Lord of the Deer” and relates to another old Buddhist story in which the deer named Bodhisattva offers his life to a king instead of the doe. The king was very touched by this act and hence created the park as a sanctuary for deer which exists still date.

Singhpur is a village situated 1 km away from the Sarnath is the birth place of Shreyansanath who is the eleventh Jain Tirthankar of the present age (Avasarpini). A temple is been dedicated to him which is an important Jain pilgrimage.

Post his enlightment, Buddha went from Bodhgaya to Sarnath to spread the teachings of spiritual power to his companions. After leaving Uruvela, he travelled to the Isipatana to join and teach them. Besides the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, several other suttas were preached by the Buddha while staying at Isipatana, namely Anattalakkhana Sutta, Saccavibhanga Sutta, Panca Sutta (S.iii.66f), Rathakara or Pacetana Sutta (A.i.110f), two Pasa Suttas (S.i.105f), Samaya Sutta (A.iii.320ff), Katuviya Sutta (A.i.279f.), a discourse on the Metteyyapanha of the Parayana (A.iii.399f), and Dhammadinna Sutta (S.v.406f), preached to the distinguished layman Dhammadinna, who came to see the Buddha.

Sarnath is a very well known temple city of India and has a very calm and serene atmosphere. This historic land has many visitors especially during the weekends. Sarnath contains a rich library and there are excellent frescoes by Kosetsu Nosu at the Mula gandha Kutir Vihara. The Sarnath Museum, not far from the site, contains some of the finest specimens of Buddhist sculpture.

Places to Visit:

Religious Spots:

• Chaukhandi Stupa
• Dhamek Stupa
• Mulagandha Kuti Vihar
• Thai temples, the Burmese, Korean and Chinese temples, have all been built recently. Apart from these, there are three Tibetan temples and a Japanese temple.

Other Attractions:

• Dharmrajika Stupa
• Ashoka Pillar magnificent Lion capital
• India’s National Emblem at Sarnath Museum
• Saddharmachakra Vihar’s at excavated ruins
• Sarnath Archeological Museum

Ayodhya: Ayodhya is blessed with many saintly personalities and the most well known among them is that it’s the birthplace of Lord Ram. It is one of the ancient city founded by Manu, the law-giver of the Hindu. Ayodhya is situated on the banks of the river Ghagra and is 6 kms from Faizabad and is a well known pilgrim centre.

Ayodhya is the ancient city of India and old capital of Awadh situated in Uttar Pradesh. It is also the capital city of Kosala Kingdom. Ayodhya was once known as Saketa in the ancient times as it reverberates the spectacular moments from the great epic Ramayana.

For centuries, Ayodhya was the capital of the descendants of the Surya dynasty of which Lord Rama was the most celebrated king. Ayodhya during ancient times was known as Kaushaldesa. The Atharvaveda described Ayodhya as “a city built by Gods and being prosperous as paradise itself”. Ikshvakus of the solar clan (Suryavansa) were the ruling dynasty of this region. According to tradition, Ikshvakus was the eldest son of Vaivasvata Manu, who established himself at Ayodhya. The earth is said to have derived its name “Prithivi” from Prithu, the sixth king of the line. A few generations later came Mandhatri, in whose line the 31st king was Harischandra, known widely for his love of truth. Raja Sagar of the same clan performed the Asvamedha Yajna and his great grandson Bhagiratha is reputed to have brought Ganga on earth by virtue of his penance. Later in the time came the great Raghu, after whom the family came to be called as Raghuvamsa. His grandson was Raja Dasaratha, the father of Rama, with whom the glory of the Kausala dynasty reached its highest point. The story of this epic has been immortalized by Valmiki and immensely popularized by the great masses through centuries.

Places to Visit:

• The Hanuman Garhi
• Kanak Bhawan
• Ramkot
• Swarg Dwar
• Mani Parbat and Sugriv Parbat
• Treta ke Thakur
• Nageshwarnath Temple
• Chhoti Devkali Mandir
• Angad Tila
• Shri Rama Janaki Birla Temple
• Tulsi Smarak Bhawan
• Ram ki Paidi
• Kaleramji ka Mandir
• Datuvan Kund
• Janki Mahal
• Gurudwara Brahma Kund
• Rishabhadeo Jain Temple
• Brahma Kund
• Amawan Temple
• Tulsi Chaura
• Laxman Quila
• Ram Katha Museum
• Valmiki Ramayan Bhawan
• Mandir Sunder Sadan

It is recommended that you consider booking long distance bus tickets on "Air Conditioned Volvo buses" operated by all operators as the quality of the other buses vary significantly. Bus tickets are easily available online. One can plan trip and do bus booking online in advance. Online bus booking is an easy process which can save your time and price.

Wildlife Tour to Madhya Pradesh

One third of Madhya Pradesh land is forested, offering a unique and exciting panorama of wild life. Especially in the Vindhya-Kaimur and the Satpura and Maikala ranges and the Baghelkhand plateau. The old princely families were enthusiastic "sportsmen". Rulers of states the size of English countries, and some appreciably larger, set aside vast stretches of wilderness as their own, private, haunting grounds. Since these royal hunts were fairly infrequent affairs and as the keepers of the hunting grounds were vigilant, the animals grew and prospered: in spite of the annual butchering.

The great hunting families have given the country its great wildlife parks. When you visit wildlife sanctuaries and national parks the land, you are the interloper: the animal is king. Your movements are controlled, the animal’s are not.

About Madhya Pradesh:

Madhya Pradesh, known as “Heart of India" is a state located in the Central India. This historical land shares its boundaries with Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan. Madhya Pradesh is known for its religious hubs of Hinduism, Jainism and Islam, Buddhism, Khajuraho temples, impregnable forts, exquisitely carved Jain temples, palaces, which are the glorious reminders of erstwhile golden era of the royal Kings and Maharajahs. Endowed with immense natural beauty and splendor. The history of the royal state goes back to the time of Ashoka, the great Mauryan ruler. To the Chandelas, however, goes the credit of building the splendid monuments of Eros, Khajuraho, in the Northern part of the state. Between 12th and 16th centuries, the region saw continuing struggles between Hindu and Muslim kings and invaders. The fortified city of Mandu in the southwest was the scene of frequent battles.

Wildlife in Madhya Pradesh:

Home to pristine forest reserves bursting with wildlife, breathtaking palaces, historical sites, some of India’s finest examples of temple art, and a dazzling tradition of arts and crafts, the province of Madhya Pradesh lies deep in the vibrant heart of India. Madhya Pradesh is famed for its national parks, which delight with their untouched natural beauty, as well as their wildlife and birdlife. Many of these parks form the last refuge of the magnificent tiger and provide guests with a rare opportunity to view the king of the jungle, as well as many other exotic species.

 Filled with contrasts, Madhya Pradesh also boasts a variety of terrain, from river valleys, dense forests and rolling plains to the ancient hills of the Vindhya and Satpura ranges and the sprawling highlands of the Malwa plateau.  The chances of seeing a big cat, a tiger or lion within naked lens’ reach, are extremely high in Madhya Pradesh. And the fact that they are not frightened of you lets you make observations and take pictures, which only dedicated naturalists could have hoped for just a decade ago. Kanha and Bandhabgarh national parks have been very famous national parks around the world. The king of the forest may be easily sighted at Kanha and Bandhavgarh. Equally at home in the Jungles of Kanha and Bandhavgarh is the Gaur who does not fear the tiger. Another native is the Barasingha the only swamp deer who has adapted to hard ground. Chitals (spotted deer) can be sighted in hundreds. Sloth Bear, the leopard and the buffalo Colorful bird. are much less common. At times one is surprised that wild life has survived so well despite the decades of senseless slaughter indulged in by the so-called big game hunters. Many of the princes marked out areas as their personal hunting reserves: Shivpuri near Gwalior for instance, which has served in recent years as the nucleus of the wild life park and where Madhav National park is particularly rich in many species of deer and famous for its white (albino tic) tigers. Pench National park is also an upcoming national park in Madhya Pradesh.

Travel to Madhya Pradesh:

The call is wild and clear. Kanha, Bandhavgarh and Panna National Park offer some wonderful wildlife viewing opportunities. Take few days off and enter into the Jungle Book written by Kipling and see the Jungle Home of Mowgli-the Jungle Boy. You can feel the presence of Mowgli riding on the Black Panther with his friends the avuncular Bhaloo -the bear; Kaa- the Python; and those rowdy monkeys; the bunder log and Sher Kahn- the Tiger!!

Madhya Pradesh is well connected with rest of the country. If you are planning to start your journey from Delhi, Mumbai or any other major cities of India, you can check flights or train based on your travel budget. MP is well connected with bus too. The capital Indore is connected through bus with Agra, Delhi, Nagpur, Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai and other major cities. Once you planned your trip, you can check bus services available for Madhya Pradesh. Bus form delhi to agra Online bus booking is fairly easy process now. On the net you can search, compare and do cheap bus booking in no time. So why wasting more time? Look at calendar and plan a wild weekend in ‘Heart of India’.

A Trip to Madurai

<p>Madurai is one of the oldest cities of India, with a history dating all the way back to the Sangam period of the pre Christian era. The glory of Madurai returned in a diminished form in the earlier part of this millennium; it later on came under the rule of the Vijayanagar kingdom after it&rsquo;s ransack by the ravaging armies of Delhi (Malik Kafur). During the 16th and 18th centuries, Madurai was ruled by the Nayak Emperors, the foremost of whom was Tirumalai Nayakar. The Sangam period poet Nakkeerar is associated with some of the Tiruvilayaadal episodes of Sundareswarar - that are enacted as a part of temple festival traditions even today. The Sangam age or the Golden age of Tamil literature &ndash; produced masterpieces way back in the Pre christian era and in early 1st millennium . Madurai was the seat of the Tamil Sangam or Academy of learning. The entire city of Madurai, is built around the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple &ndash; the temple par excellence. Concentric rectangular streets surround the temple, symbolizing the structure of the cosmos.</p>
<p><b>Places to Visit: </b></p>
<p><b>Meenakshi Temple</b>, By far, the most common reason for visiting the city is the Meenakshi Temple, dedicated to the goddess Meenakshi (considered a form of Parvati) with a sanctum for her consort, Sundareshwarar (or Siva). Actually, historically, the Sundereshwar shrine is the larger and older of the two temple complexes. The complex itself is a splendid example of the south Indian Dravida architectural idiom. Four immense gopurams or temple towers crown the gateways at each cardinal direction, easily visible from a distance. Each tower is encrusted with more than a thousand brilliantly painted sculptures depicting an assortment of mythological and auspicious themes. It is traditional to enter through the south gopuram and, unusually, worship the Goddess before her consort. Inside the shelter for shoe-storage, offering baskets of coconuts, bananas and incense are available in addition to images of the Goddess for home altars.<b></b></p>
<p><b>Koodal Alagar Temple: </b> Important Vaishnav Temple magnificient, has three stairs of the lord posture. Sitting posture of the lord (Main moola deity), one level up is a standing posture of the lord, and the 3rd level up is the lying down posture of the lord. The temple is a spectacular one. It is located in the heart of the city, one of the Divya Desams ( 108). Worshipped by &quot;Alwars - Vasihnav Saints &quot;. Worth to see and worship </p>
<p><b>Thirumalai Nayak Palace: </b>East Market Street (Less than 2km south east of the Sri Meenakshi Temple). The remains of the palace of the 17th century ruler Thirumalai Nayak who contributed extensively to the Meenakshi Temple. Only a small portion of the original structure which was four times as larger remains. There were originally two parts-Swargavilasa heavenly pavilion, meant for the King's harem and housing the darbar court, and the ranka vilasa, which was for the servants. Currently, entrance to the roof is prohibited due the renovation work being carried out by the Archaeological Department. They claim to finish work in 6 months. There is a sound and light show in the evening (Both English &amp; Tamil Version of the show). There is also a museum, which houses not only the original portraits of Thirumalai naicker, but also unearthed stine carvings of the 17th century, along with many sculptures of Hindu Gods like Brahma, Nataraja, Saraswati of the period.</p>
<p><b>Travel by Bus: </b></p>
<p>Madurai is situated on National Highways NH-7, NH-45B, NH-49. Almost all of them are presently being upgraded to multi-lane ways as part of National highway development program. Travel from Chennai and Bangalore will take approximately 8-10 hours. </p>
<p>The city is well connected by buses to all major cities in Tamil Nadu via state government operated and private buses. Buses also ply from important cities in the neighboring states of Kerala (Ernakulam, Trivandram) and Karnataka(Bangalore, Mysore). There are lots of ordinary buses and many luxury ones too. </p>
<p>Madurai has several bus stands. Most inter-state and overnight buses terminate at Mattuthavani Bus stand. Private buses are found closer to the city center near Periyar bus stand. Ticketing and reservation facilities are available at the bus-stands.</p>
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