February 4, 2016 by anilrajput

Guptkashi on way to Sri Kedarnath

Guptkashi is a village situated at the height of 1319 meters above sea level famous for its Vishwanath temple. The Guptkashi means the Hidden Kashi , it is on the way to Sri Kedarnath, legend is after the Mahabharat war was over the Pandava brothers wanted to wash their sin of killing their own relatives in the war , they were searching the Lord Shiva , Lord Shiva hide himself at this place . It is also said that Lord Shiva proposed to Parvati here at the confluence of river Son Ganga and Mandakini at Triyuginarayan ( 48 kms) . It is also said that during the Mughal King Aurangzeb period when he ordered to construct the mosque at Vishwanath temple at Varanasi ( Kashi) or Kashi Vishwanath, the original Shiva Lingam was removed from there and brought here to be in safe hiding .
According to the old texts the Purans of Hindus the Kashi and Kanchi are the two eyes of Lord Shiva and there are six more Kashi sacred and of equal importance as main Kashi the Varanasi or Kashi Vishvanath , those who can’t travel to main Kashi can reach the nearest one , these are Uttarkashi and Guptkashi in Uttrakhand , The Dakshin Kashi in South India, the Bhubneshwar in East of India , Nashik in Western India ( also called Paithan) and Mandi in Himachal Pradesh.

Vishvanath Temple Guptkashi

Vishwanath Temple
It is built of stone with high tower and a wooden frame with sloping roof , at the entrance there are two guards and walls are painted with flowers , main entrance is also guarded by the Bhairov, on the one side is a temple of Ardhnarishvar the half man and half woman form of lord Shiva , outside this temple is the Nandi bull statue made of metal.
Ukhimath
It is the temple across the river Mandakini at Guptkashi , it is the winter seat of the Sri Kedarnath , there is a small water pond the Manikarnik Kund two water sources the water is coming out of a mouth of cow is called Ganga the water is coming out of a elephant trunk is called Yamuna , the water falls on the Lingam. There is a Stupa which according to the local legends is a grave of Nala one of the characters in Ramayana , The legend also says that the Anirudha the grandson of Lord Krishna and Usha the daughter of demon King Banasur had affair at Ramgarh ( Ronitpur) this affair led to the war between Banasur and lord Krishna which resulted in as end of the Banasur dynasty.
Guptkashi is becoming more important for a night stay on trip to Sri Kedarnath as there are good hotels, guest houses and camps , it is also because of the Phata , Sita Puri and Sirsi helipad , people prefer to stay here.
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October 22, 2015 by anilrajput

Kushinagar, Maha Parinirvana of Lord Buddha

The Kushinagar was founded by the Kusha the son of Lord Ram of epic Ramayana the king of Ayodhya , it was then known as Kushavati. It is located on the banks of river Hiranayavati , this place was also a capital of Malla Kings during the Lord Buddha’s time. This place can be reached from Varanasi or Gorakhpur by road
Lord Buddha prior to his death spent his days many times as most of the Malla’s Kings were his admirers.
Lord Buddha decided to spent his last days at Kushinagar because of many reasons (a) It was the proper venue for preaching of the Mahá-Sudassana Sutta (b) Subahadra a 120 year-old Brahmin who, after getting attracted to Buddha’s speech, expressed his desire to join the Sangha, and is believed to be the last monk to be ordained by the Buddha and became an Arahant (c) Brahaman Dona lived here who was respected a lot, sorted the dispute of distribution of relics after Lords cremation .

Mahaparinivana temple and Stupa

According to a late tradition, one-eighth of the Buddha’s relics were deposited in a cairn in Kushinara by the Mallas Travelling in stages via Pava where he ate his last meal, offered by the blacksmith Cunda, he reached the final resting-place at the Saala grove by the bank of river Hiranyawati in Kushinagar, it was the full moon day (Vaisakh Purnima) in 543 BC. He told Ananda to prepare a bed for him with its head turned towards the north between two Saal trees The Buddha was lying on his right side with his head to the north when he breathed his last, his body was taken into the town by the northern gate and out through the eastern gate , After the cremation, the relics were divided into eight equal portions by the Brahmin Dona, who distributed them to eight clans. (1) King Ajatasattu of Magadha (2) The Licchavis of Veshali (3) The Sakyans of Kapilavatthu (4) The Bulians of Allakappa (5) The Koliyans of Ramagama (6) The Mallas of Pava (7) The Brahman of Vethadipa (8) The Mallas of Kushinagar , the Urn was kept by the Dona himself ,by the time the Mayurans of Pipphalavana arrived the distribution was done so they took the ashes , these people on their way to respective place raised eight Stupas for the relics, a ninth for the Urn, and a tenth for the ashes.

Lord Buddha’s Ashes were distributed under this tree

The place of lord Buddha’s death, became one of the four holy places declared by the Buddha to be places of pilgrimage for the pious.
The significance of this region is also due to being Link – route of ancient highways, among them were important highways Ayodhya – Janakpur (Bihar), Rajgrih – Vaishali – Shrawasti, Maharshi Valmiki’s Ashram, Ashoka, the great Mauryas, Pillars routes, passing through this district.
The remains of the Parinirvana Stupa and Parinirvana Temple, when rediscovered, were covered in a 40 foot high mound of bricks surrounded by a dense thorny forest , around 1861–1862 it was suggested the site to be that of Gautama Buddha’s decease. Although no decisive evidence was found to prove supposition that the site known at Matha Kuar Ka Kot was Kushinara , a series of monastic seals with the Sanskrit legend Mahaparinivane caturdiso Bhiksumghah were taken to show that by the late Gupta period the site was understood to be that of the Buddha’s last breathed .

Lord Buddha breathed his last at this place

Kushinagar was a capital city of the Malla kingdom of ancient India . Many of the ruined stupas and viharas at Kushinagar date back to 3rd century BC to the 5th century AD when prosperity was at its peak.
This region was an ideal ‘Meditation Place’ for sages, saints hermits and Mahatamas who were attracted by its pious. tranquil and charming natural surroundings. Archeological excavation has yielded rich collection of antiquities. Artistic artifacts and statues of various gods and goddesses.
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October 28, 2013 by anilrajput

Tallest Statue of Lord Buddha,Sarnath,India

Sarnath is about 10 kms. from Varanasi also is the place where Lord Buddha gave his first sermon to five of his companions( Kaundinya, Bashpa, Bhadrika, Mahanaman and Ashvajit ) in 500 B.C. The place has a number of Stupas (hemispherical domes) and monasteries. In the early days of Buddhism, Stupas were built to honor important events including Gautam’s enlightenment to become Buddha .

The Tallest Statue of Lord Buddha at Sarnath India

Eighty feet tall statue of the Lord Buddha, which is the world’s tallest statue after the ones demolished in Afganistan’s Bamiyan valley . It took 14 years to construct this statue. The work on the statue was started in 1997 and it was unveiled in 2011. This standing statue of Lord Buddha is located in the premises of Thai Buddha Vihar in Sarnath also known as Mrigdayavan Mahavihar Society.. The construction of statue is said to have started as a gesture to protest the destruction of Buddhist statues in many parts of the world.

Statue of Lord Buddha at Sarnath

Located in the garden of the Thai Temple in Sarnath, the statue consists of 845 stones blocks each about two feet wide and three feet high and the head alone is 15 feet tall, There is a beautiful garden around the statue . Built in Gandhar style, the statue is placed on a Lotus symbolising the spread of religion from India to other parts of the world with the message of love and peace , The octagonal pedestal have engravings depicting four important Buddhist religious places, including Dhammek Stupa, Bodh Gaya and Lumbini . The total cost of construction was contributed by a number of Buddhist and non-Buddhist devotees across the world
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October 11, 2013 by anilrajput

Sarnath, Isipatana, Varanasi

Situated at about 10 kms. from Varanasi ( one of the oldest inhabited city in the world) is Sarnath was also known as Isipatana during the Mauryan Period , here Lord Gautam Buddha gave his first sermon after he attained the enlightenment ( Bodhisattva ) at Bodhgaya , he came here to join five of his former companions ( Kaundinya, Bashpa, Bhadrika, Mahanaman and Ashvajit) to teach them the Dharma , before reaching Sarnath he had to use his yoga powers to cross the river Ganges as he had nothing to pay for to travel by boat, upon hearing this the Mauryan King Bimbisara abolished the toll for Ascetics .

Dhamek Stupa , Sarnath, Place of first sermon by Lord Buddha

The first sermon Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta Lord Buddha gave to five monks on a Full Moon day of Asalah and spend his first rainy season here , the Sangha after the joining of Yasa and his friends grew to 60 in numbers , Lord Buddha directed them to travel alone in all direction to spread his teachings .

Remains of aprox.18x18 sq. mtr temple , Lord Buddha meditation site

Remains of aprox.18×18 sq. mtr temple , Lord Buddha meditation site Molgandha Kuti

Several Monks stayed and learned about Buddhism centenaries after Lord Buddha , In second Centenary BC, twelve thousand monks were present under the Chief Monk Dhammasena at the foundation ceremony of Maha Thupa at Anuradhapur , when Chinese traveler Xuanzang visited he saw fifteen hundred monks studying the Hinayana at the Vihara where there was life size statue of Lord Buddha turning the wheel of Law , in third centenary Varanasi was a flourishing rich city where King and merchants were wealthy it was at its peak in sixth and seventh centenary , the Chinese traveler Xuan Zang recorded 30 monasteries and three thousand monks living at Sarnath .
Sarnath was the major center of learning of Sammatiya School of Buddhism the early Buddhist School , the Vajrayana Buddhism was practiced as the images of Tara and Heruka are discovered here , along with Buddhist images the Hindu Gods Lord Shiva and Lord Bhrama are also discovered , there is also a Jain temple near the stupa.
In 12th centenary the Turkish Muslim invaders plundered the buildings , this place was rediscovered by British archaeologist Alaxander Cunninghum in mid 19th centenary.
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