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Dhamek Stupa (also spelled ''Dhamekh'' and ''Dhamekha'') is a massive
Dhamek Stupa marks the precise location where the Buddha preached his first discourse to his first five disciples ( Kaundinya, Assaji, Bhaddiya, Vappa and Mahanama), and where all five eventually became fully liberated. This event marked the formation of the sangha. Several of the ancient sources describe the site of this first sermon as a ''Mriga-dayaa-vanam'' or a sanctuary for animals. (In Sanskrit, the word ''mriga'' is used in the sense of game animals, with deer being the most common).
After the parinirvana of the Buddha in 544 BCE, his remains were cremated and the ashes were divided and buried under eight stupas, with two further stupas encasing the urn and the embers. Dhamek Stupa was presumably among these eight stupas. In 249 BCE, Mauryan King Ashoka commissioned the expansion of Dhamek Stupa. Dhamek Stupa was further expanded in 500 CE.'' Sir Banister Fletcher's a History of Architecture'', 20th ed. (ed. by Dan Cruickshank). Architectural Press, 1996. . Page 646.
In the earliest mention of the ruins at Sarnath in modern literature, Jonathan Duncan described the discovery of a stone
File:Indika. The country and the people of India and Ceylon (1891) (14583657009).jpg, Dhamek Stupa, as it appeared in 1891
File:Stupas around the Dhamekh Stupa, Sarnath.jpg, Dhamekh Stupa
Image:History of Dhamekh Stupa on Stone.jpg, History of Dhamekh Stupa
File:Dhamekh Stupa close-up, Sarnath.jpg, Dhamekh Stupa close-up
File:Dhamekh Stupa close up.jpg, Dhamekh Stupa wall close-up
File:Sarnath - Plan of Excavations.jpg, Sarnath - Plan of Excavations
stupa
A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation.
In Buddhism, circumamb ...
located at the archaeological site of Sarnath in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Dhamek Stupa marks the precise location where the Buddha preached his first discourse to his first five disciples ( Kaundinya, Assaji, Bhaddiya, Vappa and Mahanama), and where all five eventually became fully liberated.
Location
Dhamek Stupa is located to the east of Dharmarajika Stupa at the archaeological site of Sarnath. Sarnath is located to the northeast of Varanasi, in Uttar Pradesh, India.Description
Dhamek Stupa is the most massive structure in Sarnath. In its current shape, the stupa is a solid cylinder of bricks and stone reaching a height of 43.6 meters and having a diameter of 28 meters. The basement seems to have survived from Ashoka's structure, while the stone facing displays delicate floral carvings characteristic of theGupta
Gupta () is a common surname or last name of Indian origin. It is based on the Sanskrit word गोप्तृ ''goptṛ'', which means 'guardian' or 'protector'. According to historian R. C. Majumdar, the surname ''Gupta'' was adopted by se ...
era. The wall is covered with exquisitely carved figures of humans and birds, as well as inscriptions in Brahmi script. The stupa was enlarged on six occasions but the upper part is still unfinished. While visiting Sarnath in 640 CE, Xuanzang recorded that the colony had over 1,500 priests and the main stupa was nearly high.
An Ashoka pillar with an edict engraved on it stands near the site.
History
Dhamek Stupa marks the precise location where the Buddha preached his first discourse to his first five disciples ( Kaundinya, Assaji, Bhaddiya, Vappa and Mahanama), and where all five eventually became fully liberated. This event marked the formation of the sangha. Several of the ancient sources describe the site of this first sermon as a ''Mriga-dayaa-vanam'' or a sanctuary for animals. (In Sanskrit, the word ''mriga'' is used in the sense of game animals, with deer being the most common).
After the parinirvana of the Buddha in 544 BCE, his remains were cremated and the ashes were divided and buried under eight stupas, with two further stupas encasing the urn and the embers. Dhamek Stupa was presumably among these eight stupas. In 249 BCE, Mauryan King Ashoka commissioned the expansion of Dhamek Stupa. Dhamek Stupa was further expanded in 500 CE.'' Sir Banister Fletcher's a History of Architecture'', 20th ed. (ed. by Dan Cruickshank). Architectural Press, 1996. . Page 646.
In the earliest mention of the ruins at Sarnath in modern literature, Jonathan Duncan described the discovery of a stone reliquary
A reliquary (also referred to as a ''shrine'', by the French term ''châsse'', and historically including ''wikt:phylactery, phylacteries'') is a container for relics. A portable reliquary may be called a ''fereter'', and a chapel in which it i ...
. The reliquary was discovered in January 1794, during the dismantling of the Dharmarajika Stupa by employees of Babu Jagat Singh (an official of the government of Maharaja Chait Singh of Banaras
Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.
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Gallery
References
{{commons category, Dhamekh Stupa 5th century in India Archaeological monuments in Uttar Pradesh Buddhist relics Buddhist temples in Uttar Pradesh Buildings and structures completed in the 5th century Buildings and structures in Varanasi Gupta Empire Sarnath Stupas in India Tourist attractions in Varanasi district