Buddhist Pilgrimages in India:Sarnath

Buddhists worldwide look upon India as the land of the Buddha and a visit to this country means a pilgrimage to those places sacred to the memory of the Enlightened One. After the Buddha attained enlightenment in Bodh Gaya he came to sarnath. Here in the Deer Park, he delivered his first sermon, or in religious language, set in motion the wheel of Law (maha- Dharma chakra Pravartan). On the day before his death Buddha included Sarnath along with Lumbini, Bodh Gaya and Kushinagar as the four places he thought to be sacred to his followers.
Starting from the time of Buddha, monastic tradition flourished for over 1,500 years on the site of the Deer Park. Amongst the many ruins, archaeologists have found traces dating from as early as the third century BC. The existing inscription of Ashoka's pillar, dating from that time, implies that a monastery was already established during Ashoka's reign. Fa Hien speaks of two monasteries with monks in residence. Two centuries later, Heun Tsang described a Mahavihara encompassing eight divisions. It comprised of a great temple with ornate balconies, over one hundred niches containing gilt images in its walls and a statue of Buddha in the teaching posture.
The Emperor Ashoka, who spread the Buddha’s message of love and compassion throughout his vast empire, visited Sarnath around 234BC,and erected a stupa here. Several Buddhist structures were raised at Sarnath between the 3rdcentury BC and the 11th century AD, and today it presents the most expansive ruins amongst places on the Buddhist trail. Sarnath is 10 km from the holy city of Varanasi, and is an exceedingly tranquil place. The ruins, the museum and temple are all within walking distance.
The most remarkable structure at Sarnath, is the cylindrical Dhamek Stupa, 28 mts in diameter at the base and 43.6 mts in height, built partly of stone and partly of brick. The stone facing the lower part is adorned with delicate floral carvings of Gupta origin.
Sarnath yielded a rich collection of sculptures comprising numerous Buddha and Bodhisattva images. Consideredamongst the finest specimens of Buddhist art, these have been housed at the museum, adjiacent to the site. The museum is open from 10 am to 5 pm, and closed on Fridays. Apart from the above the other objects of lnterest at Sarnath are the Dharmrajika Stup, magnificent Lion capital, India’s National Emblem at Sarnath museum, the Saddharmachakra Vihar’s at excavated ruins.There is another impresive architecture at Sarnath known as Sita ki Rosoi, ( The Kitchen of Sita ,wife of Sri Ramchandra).
It is an Islamic architecture erected by Emperor Humayun on the ruins of a Buddhist Stupa. There are quite a number of pagodas .
The place is visited by pilgrims and tourists from all parts of the world.

Residency Lucknow. A Glimpse of 1857:The 1st war of Independecence.

Clock Tower. Residency Lucknow

1857 Memorial Museum . Residency .Lucknow

Situated on the south of the Gomti river on a high ground , the Residency is one of the most significant monuments of Lucknow . The dilapidated walls and the bullet marked buildings well render the history of 1857, India's first war of Independence . The construction of the Residency first started by Nawab Asafuddaula and was completed by Nawab Saddat Ali Khanin the1800 . The last Nawab of Audh Nawab Wajid Ali Shah was dethroned and deposed by the British, which led to widespread discontent . During the Siege of Lucknow the English took shelter inside the Residency . For the next five months heavy shelling took place between the English and the mutineers . Almost every building bear the evidence of this traumatic phase . The Treasury Building was turned into an Ordinance Factory to manufacture En field Cartridges , which had been one of the sources of this ignition . Other buildings named after Commanding Officers include, Sago's House, Dr Fraher's House Brigade Mess , etc.Quite a significant times the Sepoy's tried to capture the residency but failed due to its advantageous position,having built on a high ground and bordered by Gomti river on one side . Finally when the English army arrived from Kolkata they found that only 577men and women had survived . The fall of Lucknow was followed by brutal violence on the part of English army and even civilians of Lucknow were not spared.Lucknow was plundered by the avenging English soldiers , Begum HajratMahal , who led this part of the uprising fled to Nepal where she died .

Nawab Wajid Ali Shah's Portrait

Residency Today

The ruins of Residency have been preserved in the condition as it existed in the time of the great uprising of 1857. An 1857 Memorial Museum has been created in which all remnants of this turbulet period has been nicely presved. It contains galleries displaying lithographs, documents , paintings ,artifacts relting to the great uprising of 1857. There are also portraits of Sir Henry Lawrence , Chief Commissioner of Awadh and another English woman,named Sussana Palmar,both of whom were killed inside the building of the museum . A lightand sound show has been arranged every evening ,which well illustrates the history of Lucknow during 1857.

Residency: Whispers of Immortality