Chaukhandi Stupa, Varanasi

Heralded as one of the holiest sites for Buddhist pilgrimage in India, Sarnath near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh is famous as the site where Lord Buddha had delivered his first sermon after attaining enlightenment. Home to some of the most extensive ruins among sacred Buddhist sites, Sarnath houses several stupas, excavated ruins of age old monasteries, temples, museums, gardens and various other interesting sites.

Prominent among the tourist attractions in Sarnath is the Chaukhandi Sarnath – one of the finest Monuments in Sarnath. A monument worth visit while on tour to Uttar Pradesh, Chaukhandi Sarnath lies on the way to the famous Deer Park where the Buddha preached his first sermon. The stupa is believed to have been built to commemorate the spot where the Buddha had met the five ascetics whom he later preached his first teachings.

Chaukhandi Stupa is a Buddhist stupa in Sarnath, located 8 kilometres from Cantt Railway Station Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. Stupas have evolved from burial mounds and serve as a shrine for a relic of the Buddha. The site was declared to be a monument of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India in June 2019.

History

The Chaukhandi Stupa is thought originally to have been built as a terraced temple during the Gupta period between the 4th and 6th centuries to mark the site where Lord Buddha and his first disciples met traveling from Bodh Gaya to Sarnath. Later Govardhan, the son of a Raja Todarmal, modified the stupa to its present shape by building the octagonal tower to commemorate the visit of Humayun, the powerful Mughal ruler.Today the stupa is a high earthen mound covered with a brickwork edifice topped by an octagonal tower. It is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India.