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.
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