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113-607: Sarnath (also referred to as Sarangnath , Isipatana , Rishipattana , Migadaya , or Mrigadava ) is a place located 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) northeast of Varanasi , near the confluence of the Ganges and the Varuna rivers in Uttar Pradesh , India. According to Buddhist tradition, Sarnath is where, circa 528 BCE , at 35 years of age, Gautama Buddha taught his first sermon after attaining enlightenment at Bodh Gaya . It

226-557: A Sub-Divisional Magistrate . The DM is Kaushal Raj Sharma. Varanasi district comes under the Varanasi Police Zone and Varanasi Police Range, Varanasi Zone is headed by an Additional Director General ranked IPS officer, and the Varanasi Range is headed Inspector General ranked IPS officer. The ADG, Varanasi Zone is Biswajit Mahapatra, and IG, Varanasi Range is Vijay Singh Meena. The district police up to

339-548: A humid subtropical climate ( Köppen climate classification Cwa ) with large variations between summer and winter temperatures. The dry summer starts in April and lasts until June, followed by the monsoon season from July to October. The temperature ranges between 22 and 46 °C (72 and 115 °F) in the summers. Winters in Varanasi see very large diurnal variations, with warm days and downright cold nights. Cold waves from

452-564: A pillar constructed by Ashoka near a stupa that marked the location where the Buddha set the wheel of the law in motion. During the Pala (8th–11th centuries) period, the rulers built new mahaviharas such as Odantapuri , Somapura , Jagaddala , and Vikramashila and patronised existing ones such as Nalanda and Sarnath. During this time, Buddhist pilgrims and monks from all over Asia travelled to Sarnath to meditate and study. The Palas were

565-403: A Kashi princess Valandhara and their union resulted in the birth of Sarvaga, who later ruled Kashi. Dhritarasthra's eldest son Duryodhana also married a Kashi princess Bhanumati, who later bore him a son Lakshmana Kumara and a daughter Lakṣmaṇā. The Cakkavatti Sīhanāda Sutta text of Buddhism puts forth an idea stating that Varanasi will one day become the fabled kingdom of Ketumati in

678-526: A centre of activity for intellectuals and theologians during the Middle Ages, which further contributed to its reputation as a cultural centre of religion and education. Several major figures of the Bhakti movement were born in Varanasi, including Kabir who was born here in 1389, and Ravidas , a 15th-century socio-religious reformer, mystic, poet, traveller, and spiritual figure, who was born and lived in

791-598: A mid-12th-century inscription attributed to Queen Kumaradevi (consort of King Govindachandra ) and member of the Pithipati dynasty of Bodh Gaya . She takes credit for the construction or restoration of a living quarters for monks . It is widely asserted that the structure referred to in the Kumaradevi inscription is the Dharma Chakra Jina Vihar, but the evidence for this is inconclusive. Whatever

904-595: A narrow-gauge railway that was under construction at that time. Friedrich Oertel conducted extensive excavations in 1904-1905. His team focused on the area near stupa "J" (the Dhamek Stupa ), stupa "K" ("Jagat Singh stupa", now known as the Dharmarajika Stupa), monastery "L", temple "M", hospital "N", monastery "O", and the Ashokan pillar . In March 1905, the team exhumed parts of the base and shaft of

1017-615: A small stream in the southern part of the city, near Assi Ghat. The old city is located on the north shores of the Ganges, bounded by Varuna and Assi. In the Mahabharata and in ancient India, the city is referred to as Kāśī from the Sanskrit verbal root kaś- "to shine", making Varanasi known as "City of Light", the " luminous city as an eminent seat of learning ". The name was also used by pilgrims dating from Buddha's days. Kashi

1130-414: A variety of interpretations as to whom or to what the term Hinayana referred. Kalu Rinpoche stated the "lesser" or "greater" designation "did not refer to economic or social status, but concerned the spiritual capacities of the practitioner". Rinpoche states: The Small Vehicle is based on becoming aware of the fact that all we experience in samsara is marked by suffering. Being aware of this engenders

1243-733: Is Mridula Jaiswal, and the municipal commissioner is Nitin Bansal. Water supply and sewage system is operated by the Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam. Varanasi is represented in the Lok Sabha by the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi who won the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and subsequently in 2019 by a huge margin. Hospitals in the city include the Sir Sunderlal Hospital , a teaching hospital in

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1356-481: 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 . The city has a syncretic tradition of Islamic artisanship that underpins its religious tourism. Located in the middle-Ganges valley in the southeastern part of the state of Uttar Pradesh , Varanasi lies on the left bank of the river. It is 692 kilometres (430 mi) to

1469-705: Is also traditionally considered as the place where the Buddhist sangha first came into existence as a result of the enlightenment of his first five disciples ( Kaundinya , Assaji , Bhaddiya, Vappa and Mahanama). According to the Mahaparinibbana Sutta ( Sutta 16 of the Digha Nikaya ), the Buddha mentioned Sarnath as one of the four places of pilgrimage his devout followers should visit and look upon with feelings of reverence . The other three sites are Lumbini (the traditional birthplace of

1582-644: Is demonstrated in the definition of Hīnayāna given by Yijing is that the term referred to individuals based on doctrinal differences. Scholar Isabelle Onians asserts that although "the Mahāyāna ... very occasionally referred to earlier Buddhism as the Hinayāna, the Inferior Way, [...] the preponderance of this name in the secondary literature is far out of proportion to occurrences in the Indian texts." She notes that

1695-620: Is headed by SP rank. The development of infrastructure in the city is overseen by the Varanasi Development Authority (VDA), which comes under the Housing Department of Uttar Pradesh government . The divisional commissioner of Varanasi acts as the ex-officio chairman of the VDA, whereas the vice-chairman, a government-appointed Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer , looks after the daily matters of

1808-600: Is in no way implying "inferior". In his translation and commentary of Asanga 's Distinguishing Dharma from Dharmata , he writes, "all three traditions of hinayana, mahayana, and vajrayana were practiced in Tibet and that the hinayana which literally means "lesser vehicle" is in no way inferior to the mahayana." According to the World Fellowship of Buddhists , the term Hīnayāna should not be used to refer to any extant form of Buddhism. According to Jan Nattier , it

1921-416: Is most likely that the term Hīnayāna postdates the term Mahāyāna and was only added at a later date due to antagonism and conflict between the bodhisattva and śrāvaka ideals. The sequence of terms then began with the term Bodhisattvayāna "bodhisattva-vehicle", which was given the epithet Mahāyāna "Great Vehicle". It was only later, after attitudes toward the bodhisattva teachings had become more critical, that

2034-536: Is now being run by the Tata Memorial Centre after intervention by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who represents Varanasi. Sushruta , an ancient Indian physician known as the primary author of the treatise Sushruta Samhita , the Sanskrit text of surgery, lived in Varanasi and practised medicine and surgery sometime during the 5th century BCE. Since 1922, Ayurveda has been a subject of training in

2147-475: Is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together. Benares became a princely state in 1911, with Ramnagar as its capital, but with no jurisdiction over the city proper. The religious head, Kashi Naresh, has had his headquarters at the Ramnagar Fort since the 18th century, also a repository of the history of the kings of Varanasi, which

2260-468: Is regarded as one of seven holy cities ( Sapta Puri ) which can provide Moksha ; Ayodhya , Mathura , Haridwar , Kashi, Kanchipuram , Avanti , and Dvārakā are the seven cities known as the givers of liberation. The princesses Ambika and Ambalika of Kashi were wed to the Hastinapur ruler Vichitravirya , and they later gave birth to Pandu and Dhritarashtra . Bhima , a son of Pandu, married

2373-518: Is situated to the east of Varanasi, across the Ganges. The Kashi Naresh is deeply revered by the local people and the chief cultural patron; some devout inhabitants consider him to be the incarnation of Shiva. Annie Besant founded the Central Hindu College , which later became a foundation for the creation of Banaras Hindu University in 1916. Besant founded the college because she wanted "to bring men of all religions together under

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2486-405: Is sometimes epitomised in the history of one of its principal cities. The city of Benaras represents India religiously and intellectually, just as Paris represents the political Sentiments of France. There are few cities in the world of greater antiquity, and none that have so uninterruptedly maintained their ancient celebrity and distinction. Author Mark Twain wrote in 1897 of Varanasi, Benares

2599-528: Is stated to have been the birthplace of the previous Buddha, known as Kassapa Buddha . In the sacred geography of India Varanasi is known as the "microcosm of India". In addition to its 3,300 Hindu religious places, Varanasi has 12 churches, three Jain mandirs, nine Buddhist shrines, three Gurdwaras (Sikh shrines), and 1,388 Muslim holy places. Languages in Varanasi Municipal Corporation and Cantonment Board area, 2011 Census At

2712-473: Is still widely popular. Hindu religious texts use many epithets in Sanskrit to refer to Varanasi, such as Kāśikā ( transl.  "the shining one" ), Avimukta ( transl.  "never forsaken by Shiva" ), Ānaṃdakānana ( transl.  "the forest of bliss" ), Rudravāsa ( transl.  "the place where Rudra resides" ), and Mahāśmaśāna ( transl.  "the great cremation ground" ). According to Hindu mythology , Varanasi

2825-605: Is used in reference to certain views and practices that had become found within the Mahayana tradition itself. Theravada, as well as Mahayana schools stress the urgency of one's own awakening in order to end suffering. Some contemporary Theravadin figures have thus indicated a sympathetic stance toward the Mahayana philosophy found in the Heart Sutra and the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā . The Mahayanists were bothered by

2938-438: The Digha Nikaya ), the Buddha mentioned Sarnath as one of the four places of pilgrimage his devout followers should visit and look upon with feelings of reverence . Beginning in the late 18th century , ancient sites such as Sarnath have been subjected to extensive archaeological study and restoration. Consequently, Sarnath has regained its former status as a place of pilgrimage, both for Buddhists and Jains . In 1998, Sarnath

3051-632: The Kathavatthu . Some western scholars still regard the Theravada school to be one of the Hinayana schools referred to in Mahayana literature, or regard Hinayana as a synonym for Theravada. These scholars understand the term to refer to schools of Buddhism that did not accept the teachings of the Mahāyāna sūtras as authentic teachings of the Buddha. At the same time, scholars have objected to

3164-443: The 2011 census , the Varanasi urban agglomeration had a population of 1,435,113, with 761,060 men and 674,053 women. The Varanasi municipal corporation and CB had a combined population of 1,212,610 of which 642,882 were males and 569,728 in 2011. The population in the age group of 0 to 6 years was 137,111. The population of the Varanasi urban agglomeration in 2001 was 1,371,749 with a ratio of 879 females every 1,000 males. However,

3277-587: The Banaras Hindu University , Heritage Hospital, Marwari Hospital, Pitambari Hospital, Mata Anand Mai Hospital, Rajkiya Hospital, Ram Krishna Mission Hospital, Shiv Prasad Gupta Hospital, Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital (managed by the state government), and Varanasi Hospital and Medical Research Centre. The urban parts of the Varanasi district had an infant mortality rate of 70 per 1,000 live births in 2010–2011. The Railway Cancer Hospital

3390-434: The Central Hindu College in 1898. In 1916, she and Madan Mohan Malviya founded the Banaras Hindu University , India's first modern residential university. Kashi Vidyapith was established in 1921, a response to Mahatma Gandhi 's non-cooperation movement . Traditional etymology links "Varanasi" to the names of two Ganges tributaries forming the city's borders: Varuna , still flowing in northern Varanasi, and Assi, today

3503-555: The Dhamek Stupa , although he mistook it to be a ruined Hindu temple. In what is the first incontrovertible modern reference to the ruins at Sarnath, Jonathan Duncan (a charter member of the Asiatic Society and later Governor of Bombay ) described the discovery of a green marble reliquary encased in a sandstone box in the relic chamber of a brick stupa at that location. The reliquary was discovered in January 1794, during

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3616-504: The Five precepts . The word hīnayāna is formed of hīna : "little", "poor", "inferior", "abandoned", "deficient", "defective"; and yāna (यान): "vehicle", where "vehicle" or "path" what means "a way of going to enlightenment". The Pali Text Society's Pali-English Dictionary (1921–25) defines hīna in even stronger terms, with a semantic field that includes "poor, miserable; vile, base, abject, contemptible", and "despicable". The term

3729-769: The Himalayan region cause temperatures to dip across the city in the winter from December to February and temperatures below 5 °C (41 °F) are not uncommon. The average annual rainfall is 1,110 mm (44 in). Fog is common in the winters, while hot dry winds, called loo , blow in the summers. In recent years, the water level of the Ganges has decreased significantly; upstream dams, unregulated water extraction, and dwindling glacial sources due to global warming may be to blame. Varanasi has been ranked 9th best “National Clean Air City” (under Category 1 >10L Population cities) in India. According to provisional data from

3842-621: The Kachwaha Rajput rulers of Amber (Mughal vassals themselves) most notably under Raja Man Singh rebuilt various temples and ghats in the city. The Raja of Jaipur established the Annapurna Mandir, and the 200-metre (660 ft) Akbari Bridge was also completed during this period. The earliest tourists began arriving in the city during the 16th century. In 1665, the French traveller Jean-Baptiste Tavernier described

3955-583: The Later Gupta (6th–8th centuries). When Xuanzang visited Sarnath around 640 CE, he reported seeing hundreds of small shrines and votive stupas, and a vihara some 61 metres (200 feet) in height containing a large statue of the Buddha. Xuanzang also wrote that "There are about 1500 priests here, who study the Little Vehicle according to the Sammatiya school . In his writings, Xuanzang mentioned

4068-844: The Mahāvihara and the Abhayagiri vihāra in Sri Lanka. He refers to the monks of the Mahāvihara as the "Hīnayāna Sthaviras" and the monks of Abhayagiri vihāra as the "Mahāyāna Sthaviras". Xuanzang further writes, "The Mahāvihāravāsins reject the Mahāyāna and practice the Hīnayāna, while the Abhayagirivihāravāsins study both Hīnayāna and Mahāyāna teachings and propagate the Tripiṭaka ." Mahayanists were primarily in philosophical dialectic with

4181-822: The Oudh camp, using his troops, forced the Nawab to withdraw his main force. The region eventually ceded by the Nawab of Oudh to the Benares State , a subordinate of the East India Company , in 1775, who recognised Benares as a family dominion. In 1791 under the rule of the British, resident Jonathan Duncan founded a Sanskrit College in Varanasi . In 1867, the establishment of the Varanasi Municipal Board led to significant improvements in

4294-667: The Parliament of India since 2014 . Modi inaugurated the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Corridor project, which aimed to enhance the city's spiritual vibrancy by connecting many ghats to the temple of Kashi Vishwanath, in December 2021. Varanasi is located at an elevation of 80.71 metres (264.8 ft) in the centre of the Ganges valley of North India , in the Eastern part of the state of Uttar Pradesh, along

4407-591: The Rais and chiefs of Hind came forward to proffer their allegiance [to the Ghurids]". While Qutbuddin Aibek destroyed Sarnath, it was the troops of Bakhtiyar Khalji —another of Muhammad of Ghor's slave generals—that finished the job. They destroyed Vikramashila in 1193, Odantapuri in 1197, and Nalanda in 1200. The Buddhists who survived this genocide in northern India fled to Nepal , Sikkim , Tibet , or South India . By

4520-452: The Vaibhāṣika school of Sarvāstivāda , which had by far the most "comprehensive edifice of doctrinal systematics" of the nikāya schools. With this in mind it is sometimes argued that the Theravada would not have been considered a "Hinayana" school by Mahayanists because, unlike the now-extinct Sarvastivada school, the primary object of Mahayana criticism, the Theravada school does not claim

4633-601: The lotus position . Tourist attractions unrelated to Buddhism and spirituality in Sarnath include the Sarnath Deer Park and Fish Canal, and the Sarnath Turtle Breeding and Rehabilitation Centre. In her 1832 poetical illustration [REDACTED] Sarnat, a Boodh Monument ., to a picture by Samuel Prout , Letitia Elizabeth Landon compared the four major religions of the world and mentioned

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4746-570: The 12th century, probably because of the protection, support and tolerance demonstrated by the Pala and Gahadavala rulers. For example, the Kumaradevi inscription mentions that King Govindachandra had protected Varanasi from invasions by the Ghaznavids which the inscription refers to as Turushkas in the early to mid-12th century. Apart from North India , Buddhism had been declining throughout

4859-602: The 20th-century, the Hindi-Urdu writer Premchand and the shehnai player Bismillah Khan were associated with the city. India's oldest Sanskrit college, the Benares Sanskrit College , was founded by Jonathan Duncan , the resident of the East India Company in 1791. Later, education in Benares was greatly influenced by the rise of Indian nationalism in the late 19th-century. Annie Besant founded

4972-405: The 3rd century CE, Sarnath had become an important centre for the Sammatiya school of Buddhism (one of the early Buddhist schools ), as well as for art and architecture. However, the presence of images of Heruka and Tara indicate that Vajrayana Buddhism was (at a later time) also practised here. Also, images of Hindu gods as Shiva and Brahma were found at the site, and a Jain temple

5085-614: The 8th century, when Adi Shankara established the worship of Shiva as an official sect of Varanasi. Chandradeva , founder of the Gahadavala dynasty made Banaras a second capital in 1090. In 1194 CE, the Ghurid conqueror Muizzuddin Muhammad Ghuri defeated the forces of Jayachandra in a battle near Jamuna and afterwards ravaged the city of Varnasi in the course of which many temples were destroyed. Varanasi remained

5198-491: The Banaras Hindu University, and in 1927 a separate Ayurvedic College was established. There are many ayurvedic centres in Varanasi providing treatments such as Panchakarma as well as other treatments. Hinayana Western scholars used the term Hīnayāna to describe the early teachings of Buddhism, as the Mahāyāna teachings were generally given later. Modern Buddhist scholarship has deprecated

5311-516: The Bhakti movement were born in Varanasi, including Kabir and Ravidas . In the 16th century, Rajput nobles in the service of the courts and armies of the Mughal emperor Akbar , sponsored the building or further enhancement of the major Shiva temple in the city; they also built other temples, all displaying an empire-wide architectural style. In 1740, the Banaras State , a zamindari estate

5424-408: The Buddha), Bodh Gaya (where Buddhists say the Buddha achieved enlightenment), and Kushinagar (where Buddhists say the Buddha attained parinirvana ). The name Sarnath derives from the Sanskrit word Sāranganātha (or Sārangnāth in the Pali language ), which translates to "Lord of the Deer" in the English language. The name refers to an ancient Buddhist legend , in which the Bodhisattva

5537-485: The Doomed, that stood in the land of Mnar when mankind was young, and of Ib, that was carven of grey stone before mankind existed." Lovecraft had previously described the fictional city of Sarnath in his 1920 story " The Doom That Came to Sarnath ". Varanasi Varanasi ( ISO : Vārāṇasī , Hindi: [ʋaːˈraːɳəsi] ; also Benares , Banaras ( Banārasa [bəˈnaːrəs] ) or Kashi ( Kāśī [ˈka:ʃi] ) )

5650-500: The Indian subcontinent and had virtually disappeared by the 11th century. Islamic invasions in the late 12th century brought massive plunder and destruction to northern India. Most notable among these were the military campaigns of Muhammad of Ghor , the Ghurid ruler from Ghazni (which is in present-day Afghanistan). Qutbuddin Aibek — the Turkic commander of Muhammad of Ghor 's army — led an army from Ghazni to Varanasi and Sarnath in 1194 CE. Rai Jai Chand (c. 1170–1194 CE,

5763-503: The Sanskrit language. The terms isi (Pali) and rishi (Sanskrit) refer to an accomplished and enlightened person. Isipatana and Rishipattana therefore translate to "the place where holy men descended", or "the hill of the fallen sages". Buddhism flourished in Sarnath during the second urbanisation (c. 600 – 200 BCE, from the time of the Mahajanapadas through the Nanda and Maurya periods), in part because of patronage from kings and wealthy merchants based in Varanasi . By

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5876-450: The archaeological ruins, there are a number of other pilgrimage sites and places of worship in Sarnath. Among these are included: Singhpur (Simhapuri), a village approximately 1.7 kilometres (1.1 miles) northwest of Sarnath, is believed to be the birthplace of Shreyansanatha , the 11th tirthankara of Jainism . It is also the place where four of the five auspicious life events of Shreyansanatha took place. According to Jain cosmology ,

5989-406: The architectural beauty of the Vindu Madhava temple on the side of the Ganges. The road infrastructure was also improved during this period. It was extended from Kolkata to Peshawar by Emperor Sher Shah Suri ; later during the British Raj it came to be known as the famous Grand Trunk Road . In 1656, Emperor Aurangzeb ordered the destruction of many temples and the building of mosques, causing

6102-400: The area under Varanasi Nagar Nigam has a population of 1,100,748 with a ratio of 883 females for every 1,000 males. The literacy rate in the urban agglomeration is 77% while that in the municipal corporation area is 78%. Approximately 138,000 people in the municipal area live in slums. Religion in Varanasi City (2011). Hinduism is predominantly followed in Varanasi with Islam being

6215-484: The authority. The vice-chairman of the Varanasi Development Authority is Pulkit Khare. The Varanasi Municipal Corporation oversees civic activities in the city; the head of the corporation is the mayor, and the executive and administration of the corporation is the responsibility of the municipal commissioner, who is appointed by the government of Uttar Pradesh and is either an IAS officer or Provincial Civil Service (PCS) officer of high seniority. The mayor of Varanasi

6328-410: The calendar in order to revise existing astronomical tables. Tourism in the city began to flourish in the 18th century. As the Mughal suzerainty weakened, the Benares zamindari estate became Banaras State, thus Balwant Singh of the Narayan dynasty regained control of the territories and declared himself Maharaja of Benares in 1740. The strong clan organisation on which they rested, brought success to

6441-508: The case, it is likely to be among the last structures to be built at Sarnath prior to its destruction in 1194. The inscription, excavated at Sarnath in March 1908, is currently maintained at the Sarnath Archeological Museum . Along with Sarnath (which is located in present-day Uttar Pradesh ), the most important Buddhist mahaviharas in India were Vikramashila , Odantapuri , and Nalanda (all located in present-day Bihar ). All four of these centres of learning continued to thrive throughout

6554-508: The central government and oversees the elections held in the city. The DM is also responsible for maintaining law and order in the city, hence the SSP of Varanasi also reports to the DM of Varanasi. The DM is assisted by a Chief Development Officer (CDO), four Additional District Magistrates (ADM) (Finance/Revenue, City, Protocol, Executive), one chief revenue officer (CRO), one City Magistrate (CM), and four Additional City Magistrates (ACM). The district has three tehsils , each headed by

6667-443: The city and employed in the tannery industry. Numerous eminent scholars and preachers visited the city from across India and South Asia. Guru Nanak visited Varanasi for Maha Shivaratri in 1507. Kashi (Varanasi) played a large role in the founding of Sikhism . In 1567 or thereabouts, the Mughal emperor Jallaludin Muhammad Akbar sacked the city of Varanasi on his march from Allahabad (modern-day Prayagraj ). However, later

6780-474: The city around 635 CE, attested that the city was a centre of religious and artistic activities, and that it extended for about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) along the western bank of the Ganges. When Xuanzang visited Varanasi in the 7th century, he named it "Polonise" ( Chinese : 婆羅痆斯 ; pinyin : Póluó niè sī ; lit. 'Brahma') and wrote that the city had some 30 temples with about 30 monks. The city's religious importance continued to grow in

6893-414: The city include Adampura, Anandbagh, Bachchhaon, Bangali Tola, Bhelpura, Bulanala, Chaitganj, Chaukaghat, Chowk, Dhupchandi, Dumraon, Gandhinagar, Gautam Nagar, Giri Nagar, Gopal Vihar, Guru Nanak Nagar, Jaitpura, Kail Garh, Khanna, Kotwali, Lanka Manduadih, Luxa, Maheshpur, Mahmoorganj, Maulvibagh, Nagwar, Naipokhari, Shivala, Siddhagiribagh, and Sigra. Located in the Indo-Gangetic Plains of North India,

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7006-418: The city of Varanasi in this state, the hanging head of Brahma dropped from Shiva's hand and disappeared in the ground. Varanasi is therefore considered an extremely holy site. The Pandavas , the protagonists of the Hindu epic Mahabharata , are said to have visited the city in search of Shiva to atone for their sins of fratricide and brahmahatya that they had committed during the Kurukshetra War . It

7119-441: The city to experience a temporary setback. However, after Aurangzeb's death, most of India was ruled by a confederacy of pro- Hindu kings . Much of modern Varanasi was built during this time, especially during the 18th century by the Maratha and Bhumihar Brahmin rulers. The kings governing Varanasi continued to wield power and importance through much of the British Raj period, including the Maharaja of Benares, or simply called by

7232-404: The city's infrastructure and basic amenities of health services, drinking water supply and sanitation. Rev. M. A. Sherring in his book The Sacred City of Hindus: An account of Benaras in ancient and modern times published in 1868 refers to a census conducted by James Prinsep and put the total number of temples in the city to be around 1000 during 1830s. He writes, The history of a country

7345-443: The course of these excavations, Cunningham discovered and removed many statues from monastery "L" and temple "M", as well as the sandstone box reported by Duncan from the Dharmarajika Stupa. He presented these items to the Asiatic Society of Bengal , and they are now located in the Indian Museum in Kolkata . By 1836, Cunningham had conclusively identified Sarnath as the location of the Buddha's first sermon . In 1861, Cunningham became

7458-450: The date of 24 March 2021 was headed by a Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), who is an IPS officer, and is assisted by six Superintendents of Police (SP)/ Additional Superintendents of Police (Addl. SP) (City, Rural Area, Crime, Traffic, Protocol and Protocol), who are either IPS officers or PPS officers. Each of the several police circles is headed by a Circle Officer (CO) in the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police. The last SSP

7571-460: The dismantling of a stupa (referred to by Alexander Cunningham as stupa "K" or the "Jagat Singh stupa", later identified as the Dharmarajika Stupa) by employees of Zamindar Jagat Singh (the dewan of Maharaja Chait Singh , the Raja of Benares ). Duncan published his observations in 1799. The reliquary contained a few bones and some pearls, which were subsequently thrown into the Ganges river . The reliquary itself has also disappeared, although

7684-451: The division, is in charge of infrastructure development in his division, and is also responsible for maintaining law and order in the division. The District Magistrate of Varanasi reports to the Divisional Commissioner . The Commissioner is Deepak Agarwal. Varanasi district administration is headed by the District Magistrate of Varanasi, who is an IAS officer . The DM is in charge of property records and revenue collection for

7797-461: The early Buddhist schools, and therefore bhikṣus and bhikṣuṇīs adhering to the Mahāyāna formally adheres to the vinaya of an early school. This continues today with the Dharmaguptaka ordination lineage in East Asia and the Mūlasarvāstivāda ordination lineage in Tibetan Buddhism . Mahāyāna was never a separate sect of the early schools. From Chinese monks visiting India, we now know that both Mahāyāna and non-Mahāyāna monks in India often lived in

7910-408: The end of the 12th century, Buddhism had effectively disappeared from the Indian subcontinent, except for these areas. Very few Buddhists remained in India after their persecution and expulsion at the end of the 12th century by the Ghurids. Buddhists from Tibet, Burma, and Southeast Asia continued to make pilgrimages to South Asia from the 13th to the 17th centuries, but their most common destination

8023-410: The existence of independent dharmas ; in this it maintains the attitude of early Buddhism . Additionally, the concept of the bodhisattva as one who puts off enlightenment rather than reaching awakening as soon as possible, has no roots in Theravada textual or cultural contexts, current or historical. Aside from the Theravada schools being geographically distant from the Mahayana, the Hinayana distinction

8136-501: The fifth auspicious life event is the attainment of moksha . Shreyansanatha was among the twenty Jain tirthankaras who attained moksha in Sametshikhar . Sarnath has been an important pilgrimage site for Jains for centuries. A 17th-century Jain manuscript describes a Jain temple in Varanasi as being located close to "a famous Bodisattva sanctuary" at a place called dharmeksā . This Sanskrit word translates to "pondering of

8249-618: The founder and first Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India . In 1851–1852, Markham Kittoe (1808–1853) conducted further excavations at Sarnath. Kittoe noted the presence of four stupas at Sarnath and excavated a structure he described as a hospital, which was located roughly midway between the Dhamek and Jagat Singh stupas. He also recovered a seated Buddha statue from Jagat Singh's house and transcribed its inscription. In his writings, Kittoe speculated that Sarnath

8362-461: The four schools should be grouped with the Mahāyāna or with the Hīnayāna is not determined." That is to say, there was no simple correspondence between a Buddhist school and whether its members learn "Hīnayāna" or "Mahāyāna" teachings. To identify entire schools as "Hīnayāna" that contained not only śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas but also Mahāyāna bodhisattvas would be attacking the schools of their fellow Mahāyānists as well as their own. Instead, what

8475-547: The ideal of brotherhood in order to promote Indian cultural values and to remove ill-will among different sections of the Indian population." Varanasi was ceded to the Union of India in 1947, becoming part of Uttar Pradesh after Indian independence. Vibhuti Narayan Singh incorporated his territories into the United Provinces in 1949. Narendra Modi , prime minister of India since 2014, has represented Varanasi in

8588-507: The land is very fertile because low-level floods in the Ganges continually replenish the soil. Varanasi is situated between the Ganges confluences with two rivers: the Varuna and the Assi stream. The distance between the two confluences is around 2 miles (4 km), and serves as a sacred journeying route for Hindus, which culminates with a visit to a Sakshi Vinayak Temple. Varanasi experiences

8701-486: The largest minority. Nearly 70% of the population follows Hinduism. The city also agglomerate different religions such as Christianity, Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism. The city is also a centre for Buddhist pilgrimage. At Sarnath , just northeast of Varanasi, the Buddha gave his first teaching ( Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta ) after attaining enlightenment . According to the Buddhavaṃsa , a hagiographical Buddhist text, Varanasi

8814-461: The last major Buddhist dynasty to rule in the Indian subcontinent. They were replaced by the Gahadavala dynasty , whose capital was located at Varanasi. Although the Gahadavala kings were Hindu, they were tolerant of Buddhism. Inscriptions unearthed at Sarnath in the early 20th century indicate that some of the monasteries there enjoyed royal patronage from the Gahadavala rulers. For example, in

8927-414: The late 18th century. In 1778, William Hodges became possibly the first British landscape painter to visit India. While there, he made careful observations of the art and architecture he encountered. He published an illustrated book about his travels in India in 1794. In his book, he described mosques and other Islamic architecture, Hindu temples, and Greek-inspired columns . Hodges also briefly described

9040-674: The law", and clearly refers to the Dhamek Stupa. The current edifice— Sarnath Jain Tirth (also known as the Shri Digamber Jain Temple or Shreyanshnath Jain Temple)—was constructed in 1824. Located only about 70 metres (230 feet) to the southwest of the Dhamek Stupa, this temple is dedicated to Shreyansanatha. The main deity of this temple is a blue-coloured statue of Shreyansanatha, 75 centimetres (30 inches) in height, in

9153-576: The left crescent-shaped bank of the Ganges, averaging between 15 metres (50 ft) and 21 metres (70 ft) above the river. The city is the headquarters of Varanasi district . By road, Varanasi is located 797 kilometres (495 mi) south-east of New Delhi , 320 kilometres (200 mi) south-east of Lucknow , 121 kilometres (75 mi) east of Prayagraj , and 63 kilometres (39 mi) south of Jaunpur . The "Varanasi Urban Agglomeration" – an agglomeration of seven urban sub-units – covers an area of 112 km (43 sq mi). Neighbourhoods of

9266-454: The lesser known Hindu princes. There were as many as 100,000 men backing the power of the Benares rajas in what later became the districts of Benares , Gorakhpur and Azamgarh . This proved a decisive advantage when the dynasty faced a rival and the nominal suzerain, the Nawab of Oudh , in the 1750s and the 1760s. An exhausting guerrilla war , waged by the Benares ruler against

9379-809: The local population, as do the Banaras Locomotive Works and Bharat Heavy Electricals . The city is known worldwide for its many ghats , steps leading down the steep river bank to the water, where pilgrims perform rituals. Of particular note are the Dashashwamedh Ghat , the Panchganga Ghat, the Manikarnika Ghat , and the Harishchandra Ghat, the last two being where Hindus cremate their dead. The Hindu genealogy registers at Varanasi are kept here. Among

9492-620: The notable temples in Varanasi are the Kashi Vishwanath Temple of Shiva , the Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple , and the Durga Temple . The city has long been an educational and musical centre : many prominent Indian philosophers, poets, writers, and musicians live or have lived in the city, and it was the place where the Benares gharana form of Hindustani classical music was developed. In

9605-537: The outer sandstone box was replaced in the relic chamber, where it was rediscovered by Cunningham in 1835. The bricks of the stupa were hauled off and used for the construction of the market in Jagatganj , Varanasi. Jagat Singh and his crew also removed a large part of the facing of the Dhamek Stupa, and removed several Buddha statues which he retained at his house in Jagatganj. The next modern description of Sarnath

9718-510: The pejorative connotation of the term Hinayana and some scholars do not use it for any school. Robert Thurman writes, "'Nikaya Buddhism' is a coinage of Professor Masatoshi Nagatomi of Harvard University , who suggested it to me as a usage for the eighteen schools of Indian Buddhism to avoid the term 'Hinayana Buddhism,' which is found offensive by some members of the Theravada tradition." Within Mahayana Buddhism, there were

9831-491: The people of Benares as Kashi Naresh . The Kingdom of Benares was given official status by the Mughals in 1737, and the kingdom started in this way and continued as a dynasty-governed area until Indian independence in 1947, during the reign of Vibhuti Narayan Singh . In the 18th century, Muhammad Shah ordered the construction of an observatory on the Ganges, attached to Man Mandir Ghat, designed to discover imperfections in

9944-608: The persecution and subsequent expulsion of the Buddhists from India. Sarnath is one of the locations of Rudyard Kipling's 1901 novel Kim . Teshoo Lama stays at the " Temple of the Tirthankhers " in Sarnath when not on his pilgrimages. " The Nameless City " is a fictional short story published in 1921 by H. P. Lovecraft . When the narrator of this story sees the ruins of the Nameless City, he "thought of Sarnath

10057-508: The pillar with its Schism Edict , lion capital , and remnants of the dharmachakra sculpture. Dating to c. 241-233 BCE, these are the oldest and most important relics discovered at Sarnath thus far. J. Ph. Vogel translated the inscription—which was written in the Brahmi of the Maurya period -and tentatively dated it to 249 BCE. According to the Mahaparinibbana Sutta ( Sutta 16 of

10170-458: The reigning Gahadavala dynasty king at that time) was killed during the Battle of Chandawar , and virtually everything of value in Varanasi and Sarnath was destroyed or plundered. Qutbuddin Aibek reportedly carted away some 1400 camel loads of treasure. According to the 13th-century Persian historian Hasan Nizami , "nearly 1000 temples were destroyed and mosques were raised on their foundations,

10283-662: The same Vinaya , and they have in common the prohibitions of the five offenses , and also the practice of the Four Noble Truths . Those who venerate (regard with great respect) the bodhisattvas and read the Mahāyāna sūtras are called the Mahāyānists, while those who do not perform these are called the Hīnayānists. In the 7th century, the Chinese Buddhist monk Xuanzang describes the concurrent existence of

10396-664: The same monasteries side by side. The seventh-century Chinese Buddhist monk and pilgrim Yijing wrote about the relationship between the various "vehicles" and the early Buddhist schools in India. He wrote, "There exist in the West numerous subdivisions of the schools which have different origins, but there are only four principal schools of continuous tradition." These schools are the Mahāsāṃghika Nikāya, Sthavira nikāya , Mūlasarvāstivāda Nikāya, and Saṃmitīya Nikāya. Explaining their doctrinal affiliations, he then writes, "Which of

10509-594: The same name of 2,500 years ago. The Lion capital of Ashoka at nearby Sarnath has been interpreted to be a commemoration of the Buddha's first sermon there in the fifth century BCE. In the 8th century, Adi Shankara established the worship of Shiva as an official sect of Varanasi. Tulsidas wrote his Awadhi language epic, the Ramcharitmanas , a Bhakti movement reworking of the Sanskrit Ramayana , in Varanasi. Several other major figures of

10622-692: The site (especially of the Dhamek Stupa). In 1835–1836, a 21-year-old British Army engineer with the Bengal Engineer Group named Alexander Cunningham conducted the first systematic archaeological excavations at Sarnath. He had carefully studied the writings of Faxian and Xuanzang , two Chinese Buddhist monks who travelled extensively throughout northern India in the early 5th and early 7th centuries, respectively. Based on their writings and those of Duncan, he conducted some careful measurements and excavations at Sarnath in 1835–1836. During

10735-463: The southeast of India's capital New Delhi and 320 kilometres (200 mi) to the southeast of the state capital, Lucknow . It lies 121 kilometres (75 mi) downstream of Prayagraj , where the confluence with the Yamuna river is another major Hindu pilgrimage site . Varanasi is one of the world's oldest continually inhabited cities . Kashi, its ancient name, was associated with a kingdom of

10848-484: The substantialist thought of the Sarvāstivādins and Sautrāntikins , and in emphasizing the doctrine of śūnyatā , David Kalupahana holds that they endeavored to preserve the early teaching. The Theravadins too refuted the Sarvāstivādins and Sautrāntikins (and followers of other schools) on the grounds that their theories were in conflict with the non-substantialism of the canon. The Theravada arguments are preserved in

10961-426: The term Śrāvakayāna was "the more politically correct and much more usual" term used by Mahāyānists. Jonathan Silk has argued that the term "Hinayana" was used to refer to whomever one wanted to criticize on any given occasion, and did not refer to any definite grouping of Buddhists. The Chinese monk Yijing , who visited India in the 7th century, distinguished Mahāyāna from Hīnayāna as follows: Both adopt one and

11074-423: The term Hīnayāna was created as a back-formation, contrasting with the already established term Mahāyāna. The earliest Mahāyāna texts often use the term Mahāyāna as an epithet and synonym for Bodhisattvayāna, but the term Hīnayāna is comparatively rare in early texts, and is usually not found at all in the earliest translations. Therefore, the often-perceived symmetry between Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna can be deceptive, as

11187-552: The term as pejorative, and instead uses the term Nikaya Buddhism to refer to early Buddhist schools . Hinayana has also been inappropriately used as a synonym for Theravada , which is the main tradition of Buddhism in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia . In Sanskrit , "Hīnayāna" ( / ˌ h iː n ə ˈ j ɑː n ə / , हीनयान ) is a term literally meaning the "small/deficient vehicle" or "small path." Adherents of non-Mahayana traditions were said to be obliged to adhere to only

11300-484: The terms were not actually coined in relation to one another in the same era. According to Paul Williams , "the deep-rooted misconception concerning an unfailing, ubiquitous fierce criticism of the Lesser Vehicle by the [Mahāyāna] is not supported by our texts." Williams states that while evidence of conflict is present in some cases, there is also substantial evidence demonstrating peaceful coexistence between

11413-520: The time of Maitreya . Excavations in 2014 led to the discovery of artefacts dating back to 800 BCE. Further excavations at Aktha and Ramnagar , two sites in the vicinity of the city, unearthed artefacts dating back to 1800 BCE, supporting the view that the area was inhabited by this time. During the time of Gautama Buddha , Varanasi was part of the Kingdom of Kashi . The celebrated Chinese traveller Xuanzang , also known as Hiuen Tsiang, who visited

11526-607: The time of the 2011 Census of India , 83.87% of the population of Varansi Municipal Corporation and Cantonment Board spoke Hindi , 9.03% Urdu , 4.81% Bhojpuri , and 0.92% Bengali as their first language. Varanasi division which consists of four districts, and is headed by the Divisional Commissioner of Varanasi, who is an IAS officer of high seniority, the Commissioner is the head of local government institutions (including Municipal Corporations) in

11639-445: The two traditions. Although the 18–20 early Buddhist schools are sometimes loosely classified as Hīnayāna in modern times, this is not necessarily accurate. There is no evidence that Mahāyāna ever referred to a separate formal school of Buddhism but rather as a certain set of ideals, and later doctrines. Paul Williams has also noted that the Mahāyāna never had nor ever attempted to have a separate vinaya or ordination lineage from

11752-540: Was Bodh Gaya and not Sarnath. Sarnath continued to be a place of pilgrimage for Jains, however. A 17th-century Jain manuscript written in 1612 CE (the Tirthakalpa , by Jinaprabha Suri) describes a Jain temple in Varanasi as being located close to "a famous Bodisattva sanctuary" at a place called dharmeksā . This Sanskrit word translates to "pondering of the law", and clearly refers to the Dhamek Stupa. India experienced an increase in visitation by European people in

11865-645: Was nominated for inclusion on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) list of World Heritage Sites of outstanding universal value to cultural heritage . The nomination comprises two groups of monuments: group "A" is represented by the Chaukhandi Stupa , while all other monuments (e.g., temples, stupas, monasteries, and the pillar of Ashoka) are included as part of group "B". Sites of greatest importance to Buddhist pilgrims include: In addition to

11978-504: Was Amit Pathak. On 25 March 2021 the Government of Uttar Pradesh passed an order to divide the Varanasi police into Varanasi City Police and Rural Police. Since then City Police is headed by the Commissioner of Police (CP) , who is an IPS officer of ADGP rank, and is assisted by two additional commissioners of police (Addl. CP) who is of DIG rank, and two deputy commissioners of police (DCP) who are of SP rank. And Rural Police

12091-518: Was a deer and offered his life to a king instead of the doe the king was planning to kill. The king was so moved that he created the park as a deer sanctuary. The term for "deer park" is Mriga-dāva in Sanskrit, or Miga-dāya in the Pali language. Isipatana is another name used to refer to Sarnath in Pali, the language of the Pali Canon . This name corresponds to the name Rishipattana in

12204-649: Was by Francis Buchanan-Hamilton , who visited the site around 1813. He drew a crude map of the site—which he called Buddha Kashi—at that time. Colin Mackenzie was an officer in the British East India Company who later became the first Surveyor General of India . Visiting Sarnath in 1815, he was the first to describe a dedicated exploration of the ruins. Throughout the early 19th century, amateur archeologists explored and excavated at Sarnath, removing antiquities, and several artists drew sketches of

12317-484: Was destroyed as a result of a great fire. Sometime in the mid-19th century, Sarnath was subjected to further depredations, as 48 statues and a tremendous amount of bricks and stones were removed from the historic site to be used in the construction of two bridges over the Varuna River . A final instance of despoilation occurred around 1898, when many bricks and stones were removed from Sarnath and used as ballast for

12430-663: Was established in the city. Under the Treaty of Faizabad, the East India Company acquired Benares in 1775. The city was later annexed under the Benares Division of the Ceded and Conquered Provinces in 1805, the North-Western Provinces in 1836, United Provinces in 1902, and after India's independence of Uttar Pradesh in 1950. Silk weaving , carpets, crafts and tourism employ a significant number of

12543-478: Was founded by Shiva , one of three principal deities along with Brahma and Vishnu . During a conflict between Brahma and Shiva, one of Brahma's five heads was torn off by Shiva. As was the custom, the victor carried the slain adversary's head in his hand and let it hang down from his hand as an act of ignominy, and a sign of his own bravery. A bridle was also put into the mouth. Shiva thus dishonoured Brahma's head, and kept it with him at all times. When he came to

12656-458: Was located very close to the Dhamek Stupa . Buddhism further expanded in India during the Gupta (4th to 6th centuries) period. Faxian was a Chinese Buddhist monk who travelled extensively throughout northern India from 400–411 CE. In his description of Sarnath, he mentioned seeing four large towers and two viharas with monks residing in them. The influence of Buddhism continued to grow during

12769-604: Was translated by Kumārajīva and others into Classical Chinese as "small vehicle" (小 meaning "small", 乘 meaning "vehicle"), although earlier and more accurate translations of the term also exist. In Mongolian ( Baga Holgon ) the term for hinayana also means "small" or "lesser" vehicle or better called path, while in Tibetan there are at least two words to designate the term, theg chung meaning "small vehicle" and theg dman meaning "inferior vehicle" or "inferior spiritual approach". Thrangu Rinpoche has emphasized that hinayana

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