Chaukhandi Stupa declared to be of “National importance” 04/07/2019 – Posted in: ART & CULTURE

Chaukhandi Stupa declared to be of “National importance”

 

Ancient Buddhist site in Uttar Pradesh’s Sarnath known as Chaukhandi Stupa has been declared to be of “National importance” by the Archaeological Survey of India.

  • The stupa is known as ‘Chaukhandi’ because of its four-armed plan.
  • It is a Buddhist stupa in Sarnath which have evolved from burial mounds and serve as a shrine for a relic of the Buddha.
  • The Chaukhandi stupa is thought initially to have been built as a terraced temple during the Gupta time frame between the 4th and 6th centuries.
  • Later Govardhan, the son of a Raja Todarmal, modified the stupa to its present shape by building the octagonal tower.
  • Today the Chaukhandi Stupa is a high earthern mound covered with a lofty brick structure crowned with an octagonal tower.

 

Sarnath

  • Sarnath is a place located north-east of Varanasi near the confluence of the Ganges and the Varuna rivers in Uttar Pradesh.
  • It is a place where Gautama Buddha first taught the Dharma, and where the Buddhist Sangha came into existence through the enlightenment of Kondanna.
  • Sarnath has been variously known as Mrigadava, Migadāya, Rishipattana, and Isipatana throughout its long history.

 

Source: The Hindu

 

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