Chaukhandi Stupa

The place Sarnath is itself considered as the most prestigious and holy pilgrimage site among the Buddhists. The entire city is flooded with Buddhist culture. This city of Uttar Pradesh is the home for the Buddhists. Every piece of architecture in this city including museums, monasteries, temples, gardens, etc. is dedicated to the religion and history of Buddhism. Many people from different religions come to visit this pilgrimage spot regularly every year to pay a tribute to this religion and culture.

If you are in Chaukhandi Stupa, you can feel the spirituality of this construction in its air. The air passing through it spreads a serene vibe of piety into the surrounding. Being here, you get a clean and refreshed soul to get back home.

Description:

In the Buddhist culture, the monument Chaukhandi Stupa, Sarnath is recognized as the most prestigious and celestial structure. The formation of the Stupa happened exactly at the similar location where lord Gautam Buddha first time saw the five ascetics of His. To these five people He later preached His paramount teachings. The monument of Chaukhandi Stupa was founded as a tribute to this important event that ultimately rose up as a holy space among the Buddhists. In the Buddhist religion, people consider this divine monument as the shrine of Lord Gautam Buddha, and it is counted as an evolution over funeral knolls.

Traveller Tips:

• Visit here on weekdays to avoid crowded weekends.

• This is a holy place so try to keep it clean.

History:

This holy place has a quite interesting historical background. In fact, that is the main reason why it is so popular among tourists.

According to a belief, during 4th – 6th century, the building of Chaukhandi Stupa was a terraced shrine only and today’s structure is different to that. The research works of many historians suggest that it was Samrat Ashoka who built the square shaped structure.

After that Prince Govardhan constructed the octagonal shaped Mughal tower surrounding the squared structure of the Chaukhandi Stupa, Sarnath. And, the building got its present form. He actually made this in the honour of Mughal Samrat Humayun.

However, some historians and researchers disagree to the fact. They say it was Mughal Samrat Akbar who erected the octagonal Mughal tower to the squared structure of the Stupa in 1585. He wanted to honour Humayun’s visit to Chaukhandi Stupa. Both the structure of Chaukhandi Stupa and Sarnath are part of an important episode of Gautam Buddha’s life. After lord Buddha achieved his insight at Bodha Gaya, he reached Sarnath. Here, for the first time, he met with his five disciples at the place where Chaukhandi Stupa is situated. Lord Buddha then continued to speak his first lessons after his enlightenment to them in the Deer Park of Sarnath starting the ‘Dharma Wheel’.

The importance of the Wheel of Dharma to the Buddhists is not to induce any sort of emotion rather it stands for clean devotion among the pilgrims who come to visit this sacred place in Buddhism every year.

Architecture:

The entire structure of the Stupa has been founded using bricks and thus it is delicate in nature! This is why later on the Archaeological Survey of India took the matter under consideration and took the responsibility of the annual maintenance of this supreme building.

To discuss about its structure, it is a square shaped organization that lies on a three-terraced basement. Each of the terraces has 12 ft height and 12 ft width. The height of the overall building is 200 ft.

The core structure of the Chaukhandi Stupa is prepared using concrete brickwork with clay filling. And, the terraces are of the basement are built on a series of hollow cells.

Overall, erected on a rectangular shaped plinth and being enclosed with an octagonal shaped tower on its sides, the structure of Chaukhandi Stupa is undeniably a majestic piece of art work.

How to Reach?

Chaukhandi Stupa, Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh is a renowned destination among the tourists and pilgrims. As it is the home for the Buddhists, multiple facilities are available to commute here, which are both comfortable and convenient for the travellers.

Sarnath is only 13 Km away from Varanasi. You can reach this place by a 20 minutes’ drive only from Varanasi. After reaching the city, you may reach Chaukhandi Stupa by a 15 minutes’ walk.

Nearby Attractions:

• Ashoka Pillar

• Thai Temple

• Tibetan Temple

• Archaeoligicalmuseum

• Buddha Purnima

Come here with pure heart and strong belief in Buddhism. You will feel the purity in the nature of Chaukhandi Stupa, Sarnath.