Mettavalokanaya_Magazine_August_2017

Amazing Lord
Gautama Buddha’s
Sacred Places in
India (Dambadiva)….
Buddha, meaning 'one who is awake' in the sense of
having 'woken up to reality' was the title first given to Lord
Buddha. It was about 2500 years ago when Prince Siddhartha
Gautam left all the worldly pleasures to attain the reality of
life, and became the Buddha - the enlightened one. It was a
state in which the Buddha gained an insight into the deepest
workings of life and therefore into the cause of human
suffering, the problem that had set Him on his spiritual quest
in the first place.
Buddhism offers four major sites of pilgrimage: the
Buddha's birthplace at Lumbini, the site where he attained
Enlightenment Bodh Gaya, where he first preached at Benaras,
and where he achieved Parinirvana at Kusinagara. Some
Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India are listed below:
Lumbini - The Buddha's Birthplace
Lumbini is a Buddhist pilgrimage site in
the Rupandehi District of Nepal. It is the place where,
according to Buddhist tradition, Queen Mayadevi gave
birth to Siddhartha Gautama in 563 BCE. Gautama, who
achieved Enlightenment sometime around 528 BCE, became
the Gautama Buddha and founded Buddhism. Lumbini is
one of many magnets for pilgrimage that sprang up in places
pivotal to the life of Gautama Buddha.
Lumbini has a number of temples, including the Mayadevi
Temple and several others which are still under repairing.
Many monuments, monasteries and a museum, the Lumbini
International Research Institute, are also within the holy site.
Also there is the Puskarini, or Holy Pond, where the Buddha's
mother took the ritual dip prior to his birth and where he had
his first bath. At other sites near Lumbini, earlier Buddhas
were, according to tradition, born, then achieved ultimate
Enlightenment and finally relinquished their earthly forms.
In the Buddha's time, Lumbini was situated in east
of Kapilavastu and southwest Devadaha of Shakya kingdom
of Nepal. It was there, that the Buddha was born. A pillar
discovered in 1896 (and erected thereafter at Rummindei) is
believed to mark the spot of Ashoka's visit to Lumbini. The site
was not known as Lumbini before the pillar was discovered.
According to an inscription on the pillar, it was placed there
by the people then in charge of the park to commemorate
Ashoka's visit and gifts. The park was previously known as
Rummindei, 2 mi (2 mi (3.2 km)) north of Bhagavanpura.
Bodh Gaya - The site of the Enlightenment of Gautama
Buddha
It is here in Gaya, that Lord Buddha attained
enlightenment under a Bodhi tree. Gaya is situated about
100kms from Patna, the capital of Bihar. It is the second largest
city and is the most popular tourist destination in Bihar. The
city is established on the bank of River Phalgu and is named
after the demon called Gayasur.
Today, Bodhgaya is an important place of Buddhist
pilgrimage in India and has a number of monasteries, which
were constructed by devout Buddhists of Japan, Thailand,
Myanmar and Sri Lanka. The major attraction in Gaya is the
Maha Bodhi Temple or the Vishal Buddha Mandir that has a
mammoth statue of Buddha in a deep meditation.
Then there is the Bodhi tree that is situated on a huge
platform; it is believed that this tree is the offspring of the
actual tree under which Lord Buddha attained enlightenment.
The Chaukramama or the Jewel Walk is yet another place of
interest in Bodhgaya; it is said that this was the spot where
Buddha used to come for a stroll.
Sarnath - The site of the first sermon
Sarnath is situated about 11kms from the holy town
of Varanasi. It is a place where Budhha after attaining
enlightenment proceeded to deliver his first sermon on
wisdom. Today, Sarnath is one of the most important Buddhist
places of worship in India. The main attraction here is the
stupa that was erected by Emperor Ashoka in 3rd century BC.
Other major attractions in Sarnath are Chaukhandi
Stupa, which is believed to have been constructed during
Emperor Ashoka’s reign; it is in fact the first monument
encountered after entering Sarnath. Another important place
to see in Sarnath is the Dhamek Stupa, which is a conical
structure that signifies the place where Buddha delivered
his first teachings of the Four Noble Truths. Mulagandha Kuti
Vihar and Sarnath Museum are yet other major attractions for
the tourists in Sarnath.
Kushinagar - The site of the Buddha's paranibbana
Kushinagar is located about 53 km from Gorakhpur
and is believed to be the place where Lord Buddha attained
‘Maharparinivana’- the highest stage of salvation. After the
excavation in 1861 many stupas related to Buddha resurfaced
in Kushinagar and today they are amongst the major tourist
attractions here. The Ramabhar Stupa is one of the major
attractions; this stupa is about 50 feet tall and situated where
Lord Buddha was cremated.
Mahanirvana Temple, where a six meters long Buddha
statue in reclining position is kept; Mathakuar Temple, where
a black stone image of the Buddha and inscriptions dating back
to 10th-11th century are kept; Watt Thai Temple; Japanese
Temple, where ‘Eight Metals’ statue of Lord Buddha is kept
and the Chinese Temple, which is predominantly constructed
in a Chinese architectural style are the other places to see in
Kushinagar.
Other Buddhist holy sites are Patna, Bihar - Formerly
known as Pataliputra, it was the seat of the Mauryan
Empire and a significant Buddhist centre. Rajgir, Bihar -
Formerly known as Rajagaha, it was the capital of Magadha,
ruled by King Bimbisara, one of the most prominent monarchs
and supporters during the lifetime of the Buddha.
Nalanda, Bihar - Site of an ancient Buddhist university,
destroyed by Bakhtiyar Khalji during Islamic attacks.
Sravasti, Uttar Pradesh - Formerly known as Savatthi, it was
the capital of Kosala, ruled by King Pasenadi, one of the most
prominent monarchs and supporters during the lifetime of
the Buddha. Vaishali, Bihar - Seat of a republican state of
the Lichchavis, prominent supporters of the Buddha. Site of
the Second Buddhist Council.
The name of Bihar is derived from vihara, meaning
monastery, such was the association of the area with
Buddhism. In addition to these sites which were visited by the
Buddha, other sites in India have become notable:
Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh - Site of a large stupa
built by Ashoka, it also stored the relics of Sariputra and
Mahamoggallana, the two chief disciples of the Buddha;
reputedly the place from which Mahinda set out to
proselytise Sri Lanka.
Ajanta and Ellora, Maharashtra - the site of intricate cave
paintings depicting Buddhism. Nagarjunakonda, Bavikonda,
Thotlakonda, Salihundam, Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh,
Ratnagiri, Odisha, Lalitgiri, Odishaand Udayagiri, Odisha -
former sites of Buddhist education.
Wijaya Wagaarachchi
After visit in India
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