Gautama Buddha - Mulagandhakuti Vihara - Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh, India
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denben
N 25° 22.855 E 083° 01.606
44R E 703912 N 2808673
The marker is located on the grounds of the Mulagandhakuti Vihara, the main Buddhist temple in Sarnath in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
Waymark Code: WMQ88V
Location: India
Date Posted: 01/07/2016
Views: 2
Sarnath, located just 12 km from the Hindu holy city of Varanasi, is the site of the deer park where Gautama Buddha first taught the Dharma after his enlightenment. Sarnath is one of four holy Buddhist sites sanctioned by the Buddha himself for pilgrimage. The other three sites are: Lumbini (birth); Bodh Gaya (enlightenment); and Kushinagar (death).
Mulagandhakuti Vihara was built in 1931 by Bodhi Sattva Anagarika Dharmapala. It is said to be located at the place where Buddha used to stay during his visits to Sarnath. Mulagandhakuti Vihara is a magnificent structure with ancient Buddhist architectural decorations carved on Indian red stone with an image of Buddha inside it. Buddha’s relics discovered at Taxila are enshrined underneath the pedestal of the image. There are also fine paintings on the walls by Japanese artist Kosetsu Nosu. Buddhist services are conducted inside the temple.
The Dhammapada is a collection of sayings of the Buddha in verse form and one of the most widely read and best known Buddhist scriptures. The inscription on the marker is from the Dhammapada chapter 3 - The Mind v42. The inscription is written in 4 languages the first 2 being Pali and English.
The inscription reads:
"Whatever harm an enemy may do to an enemy, or a hater to a hater, an ill-directed mind inflicts on oneself a greater harm."
We visited Sarnath during the celebrations for the 84th Anniversary (25th Nov. 2015) of the foundation of Mulagandhakuti Vihara. The site was really crowded.
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