How Buddhist history was saved from destruction: The unique story of Sarnath

How Buddhist history was saved from destruction: The unique story of Sarnath

 ▪️The story is of 1794.  Then the king of Kashi was Chet Singh and his Diwan was Jagat Singh.

 ▪️ There are two localities in Banaras named after Chet Singh and Jagat Singh:- one Chetganj and the other Jagatganj.

 ▪️ Then Jagat Singh had to build a market and buildings in the Jagatganj area, there was a dire need of bricks and stones.

 ▪️ In the area of ​​Sarnath, Emperor Ashoka and other Buddhist kings had built many stupas and Buddhist buildings using bricks and stones.

 ▪️ Jagat Singh found immense treasure of bricks and stones, his workers started demolishing the stupas and taking away the bricks and stones.

 ▪️ Many Buddhist buildings of Sarnath were ruined.

 ▪️ During this period of destruction, a green marble ossuary was found in a box made of stone from the womb of Dharmarajika Stupa.

 ▪️ Jonathan Duncan was then the representative of the British government in Banaras, he wrote an article on this unexpected development.

 ▪️ After reading the articles of Jonathan Duncan, there was a stir among the British archaeologists, many history connoisseurs started reaching Sarnath.

 ▪️ But the first archaeological excavation of Sarnath was conducted by Colin McKenzie in 1815-16, but did not achieve much success.

 ▪️ Then in the month of December 1834, the uncrowned king of archaeologists, Alexander Cunningham, started the excavation of the holy land of Sarnath and continued the excavation till January 1836.

 ▪️ Dhamekh Stupa, Dharmarajika Stupa, Chaukhandi Stupa came into view and the ancient dignity of Sarnath came alive.

 ▪️ Cunningham, while criticizing Jagat Singh, has written that the plight of the stupas of Sarnath is the result of the frivolity of Jagat Singh, who ruined such a beautiful construction for his market and palace.

 ▪️ Cunningham further wrote that by destroying it they may not have had much savings overall, but the damage they caused to this priceless historical construction is indescribable and unforgivable.

 ▪️ Thus Sarnath was Buddhist.  But before the British, we did not know that such a huge Buddhist heritage was buried underground.

 ▪️ The coat of arms of India was also discovered from this land of Sarnath.

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