Dhamek Stupa (also spelled ''Dhamekh'' and ''Dhamekha'') is a massive

stupa A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation. In Buddhism, circum ...

located at the archaeological site of Sarnath in the state of

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 195 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

. Dhamek Stupa marks the precise location where

the Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...

preached his first discourse to his first five disciples ( Kaundinya, Assaji, Bhaddiya, Vappa and Mahanama), and where all five eventually became fully liberated.

Location

Dhamek Stupa is located to the east of Dharmarajika Stupa at the archaeological site of Sarnath. Sarnath is located to the northeast of

Varanasi Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) 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 t ...

, in Uttar Pradesh, India.

Description

Dhamek Stupa is the most massive structure in Sarnath. In its current shape, the stupa is a solid cylinder of bricks and stone reaching a height of 43.6 meters and having a diameter of 28 meters. The basement seems to have survived from Ashoka's structure, while the stone facing displays delicate floral carvings characteristic of the

Gupta Gupta () is a common surname or last name of Indian origin. It is based on the Sanskrit word गोप्तृ ''goptṛ'', which means 'guardian' or 'protector'. According to historian R. C. Majumdar, the surname ''Gupta'' was adopted by sev ...

era. The wall is covered with exquisitely carved figures of humans and birds, as well as inscriptions in

Brahmi script Brahmi (; ; ISO: ''Brāhmī'') is a writing system of ancient South Asia. "Until the late nineteenth century, the script of the Aśokan (non-Kharosthi) inscriptions and its immediate derivatives was referred to by various names such as 'lath' ...

. The stupa was enlarged on six occasions but the upper part is still unfinished. While visiting Sarnath in 640 CE,

Xuanzang Xuanzang (, ; 602–664), born Chen Hui / Chen Yi (), also known as Hiuen Tsang, was a 7th-century Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveler, and translator. He is known for the epoch-making contributions to Chinese Buddhism, the travelogue of ...

recorded that the colony had over 1,500 priests and the main stupa was nearly high. An

Ashoka pillar The pillars of Ashoka are a series of monolithic columns dispersed throughout the Indian subcontinent, erected or at least inscribed with edicts by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka during his reign from c. 268 to 232 BCE. Ashoka used the express ...

with an edict engraved on it stands near the site.

History

Dhamek Stupa marks the precise location where

preached his first discourse to his first five disciples ( Kaundinya, Assaji, Bhaddiya, Vappa and Mahanama), and where all five eventually became fully liberated. This event marked the formation of the

sangha Sangha is a Sanskrit word used in many Indian languages, including Pali meaning "association", "assembly", "company" or "community"; Sangha is often used as a surname across these languages. It was historically used in a political context t ...

. Several of the ancient sources describe the site of this first sermon as a ''Mriga-dayaa-vanam'' or a sanctuary for animals. (In Sanskrit, the word ''mriga'' is used in the sense of game animals, with deer being the most common). After the

parinirvana In Buddhism, ''parinirvana'' ( Sanskrit: '; Pali: ') is commonly used to refer to nirvana-after-death, which occurs upon the death of someone who has attained ''nirvana'' during their lifetime. It implies a release from '' '', karma and rebirth ...

of the Buddha in 544 BCE, his remains were cremated and the ashes were divided and buried under eight stupas, with two further stupas encasing the urn and the embers. Dhamek Stupa was presumably among these eight stupas. In 249 BCE,

Mauryan The Maurya Empire, or the Mauryan Empire, was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in the Indian subcontinent based in Magadha, having been founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BCE, and existing in loose-knit fashion until 1 ...

King

Ashoka Ashoka (, ; also ''Asoka''; 304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of Indian subcontinent during to 232 BCE. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, s ...

commissioned the expansion of Dhamek Stupa. Dhamek Stupa was further expanded in 500 CE.''

Sir Banister Fletcher's a History of Architecture ''A History of Architecture on the Comparative Method'' is a book about history of architecture The history of architecture traces the changes in architecture through various traditions, regions, overarching stylistic trends, and dates. T ...

'', 20th ed. (ed. by

Dan Cruickshank Daniel Gordon Raffan Cruickshank (born 26 August 1949) is a British art historian and BBC television presenter, with a special interest in the history of architecture. Professional career Cruickshank holds a BA in Art, Design and Architecture ...

). Architectural Press, 1996. . Page 646. In the earliest mention of the ruins at Sarnath in modern literature, Jonathan Duncan described the discovery of a stone

reliquary A reliquary (also referred to as a ''shrine'', by the French term ''châsse'', and historically including '' phylacteries'') is a container for relics. A portable reliquary may be called a ''fereter'', and a chapel in which it is housed a ''fer ...

. The reliquary was discovered in January 1794, during the dismantling of the Dharmarajika Stupa by employees of Babu Jagat Singh (an official of the government of

Maharaja Chait Singh Rafa'at wa Awal-i-Martabat Maharaja Sri Chait Singh Sahib Bahadur (died 29 March 1810), commonly known as Chait Singh, was a ruler of Kingdom of Benares in northern India. Maharaja Balwant Singh's elder son, Rafa'at wa Awal-i-Martabat Raja Sri ...

Banaras Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) 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 tr ...

Gallery

File:Indika. The country and the people of India and Ceylon (1891) (14583657009).jpg, Dhamek Stupa, as it appeared in 1891 File:Stupas around the Dhamekh Stupa, Sarnath.jpg, Dhamekh Stupa Image:History of Dhamekh Stupa on Stone.jpg, History of Dhamekh Stupa File:Dhamekh Stupa close-up, Sarnath.jpg, Dhamekh Stupa close-up File:Dhamekh Stupa close up.jpg, Dhamekh Stupa wall close-up File:Sarnath - Plan of Excavations.jpg, Sarnath - Plan of Excavations

References

{{commons category, Dhamekh Stupa 5th century in India Archaeological monuments in Uttar Pradesh Buddhist relics Buddhist temples in Uttar Pradesh Buildings and structures completed in the 5th century Buildings and structures in Varanasi Gupta Empire Sarnath Stupas in India Tourist attractions in Varanasi district