Encasing the relics of Buddha

by A. SRIVATHSAN, The Hindu, Jan 19, 2007

Ashoka built many stupas, of which the one at Sanchi is the most important and the finest.

Sanchi, India -- When Gautama Buddha died at Kushinagar, his followers fought over his body relics. Each group wanted a share so that they could build stupas in their respective places.

<< AT SANCHI: The Great Stupa. PHOTO: ANJANA CHANDRAMOULY

They were pacified and the relics were split into eight portions. Subsequently, eight stupas were built over them. A stupa is a hemispherical mound of bricks built over a relic and considered sacred by the Buddhists.

When Ashoka became the Mauryan emperor in the third century B.C, he was keen to spread Buddhism and build many stupas. It is said that the he opened the old stupas and redistributed the relics. Some accounts state that Ashoka built 84,000 stupas while a few others think it is 64,000.

The mahastupa

Sanchi is one of the important stupas that Ashoka built. Surprisingly, Buddha never visited Sanchi, but a grand stupa was built to commemorate his life and teachings. It is believed that Ashoka chose Sanchi because his wife Devi was from Vidisha, an ancient city near Sanchi.

Sanchi was an active Buddhist site till 12th century A.D. Many stupas were built around the great stupa or mahastupa including the important one dedicated to Sariputta and Maha-Moggalana, his two principal disciples.

In second century B.C., the Shungas encased the mahastupa with stones. The Satavahanas of the first B.C built the gateways in the four cardinal directions. These gateways are a storehouse of some of the best relief sculptures. They narrate the story of the Buddha's life, Jataka tales and everyday life in the villages.

Near the southern gateway, the remains of the Ashoka pillar can still be seen. The famous lion capital of this column is now exhibited in the museum near by. The small but exquisite Gupta temple near this pillar, dating to fifth century A.D., is an important example of the earlier structural temple. There are also many monasteries, and votive stupas around the main stupa.

The British archaeologists undertook many excavations in this site. General Cunningham opened the small stupa dedicated to Sariputta and Maha-Moggalana and found two caskets with the letters sa and ma inscribed over them. Inside the casket were the relics. Cunningham shipped them to London but they were later brought back to Sanchi. These relics now remain buried in the Buddhist temple near by. Sanchi was declared as a world heritage site in 1989.

Heliodorus column

In the second century B.C., Antialkidas, the king of Taxila, sent Heliodorus as a Greek envoy to the court of Kasiputra Bhagabhadra, the king of Besnagar. Heliodorus erected a votive Garuda column dedicated to Vishnu at Besnagar, 15 km from Sanchi. This column contains two inscriptions that are considered valuable for the Indian religious history.

We Need Your Help to Train the
Buddhist AI Chat Bot
NORBU!
(Neural Operator for Responsible Buddhist Understanding)



For Malaysians and Singaporeans, please make your donation to the following account:

Account Name: Bodhi Vision
Account No:. 2122 00000 44661
Bank: RHB

The SWIFT/BIC code for RHB Bank Berhad is: RHBBMYKLXXX
Address: 11-15, Jalan SS 24/11, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Phone: 603-9206 8118

Note: Please indicate your name in the payment slip. Thank you.


Dear Friends in the Dharma,

We seek your generous support to help us train NORBU, the word's first Buddhist AI Chat Bot.

Here are some ways you can contribute to this noble cause:

One-time Donation or Loan: A single contribution, regardless of its size, will go a long way in helping us reach our goal and make the Buddhist LLM a beacon of wisdom for all.

How will your donation / loan be used? Download the NORBU White Paper for details.



For Malaysians and Singaporeans, please make your donation to the following account:

Account Name: Bodhi Vision
Account No:. 2122 00000 44661
Bank: RHB

The SWIFT/BIC code for RHB Bank Berhad is: RHBBMYKLXXX
Address: 11-15, Jalan SS 24/11, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Phone: 603-9206 8118

Note: Please indicate your purpose of payment (loan or donation) in the payment slip. Thank you.

Once payment is banked in, please send the payment slip via email to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv. Your donation/loan will be published and publicly acknowledged on the Buddhist Channel.

Spread the Word: Share this initiative with your friends, family and fellow Dharma enthusiasts. Join "Friends of Norbu" at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/norbuchatbot. Together, we can build a stronger community and create a positive impact on a global scale.

Volunteer: If you possess expertise in AI, natural language processing, Dharma knowledge in terms of Buddhist sutras in various languages or related fields, and wish to lend your skills, please contact us. Your knowledge and passion could be invaluable to our project's success.

Your support is part of a collective effort to preserve and disseminate the profound teachings of Buddhism. By contributing to the NORBU, you become a "virtual Bodhisattva" to make Buddhist wisdom more accessible to seekers worldwide.

Thank you for helping to make NORBU a wise and compassionate Buddhist Chatbot!

May you be blessed with inner peace and wisdom,

With deepest gratitude,

Kooi F. Lim
On behalf of The Buddhist Channel Team


Note: To date, we have received the following contributions for NORBU:
US$ 75 from Gary Gach (Loan)
US$ 50 from Chong Sim Keong
MYR 300 from Wilson Tee
MYR 500 from Lim Yan Pok
MYR 50 from Oon Yeoh
MYR 200 from Ooi Poh Tin
MYR 300 from Lai Swee Pin
MYR 100 from Ong Hooi Sian
MYR 1,000 from Fam Sin Nin
MYR 500 from Oh teik Bin
MYR 300 from Yeoh Ai Guat
MYR 300 from Yong Lily
MYR 50 from Bandar Utama Buddhist Society
MYR 1,000 from Chiam Swee Ann
MYR 1,000 from Lye Veei Chiew
MYR 1,000 from Por Yong Tong
MYR 80 from Lee Wai Yee
MYR 500 from Pek Chee Hen
MYR 300 from Hor Tuck Loon
MYR 1,000 from Wise Payments Malaysia Sdn Bhd
MYR 200 from Teo Yen Hua
MYR 500 from Ng Wee Keat
MYR 10,000 from Chang Quai Hung, Jackie (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from K. C. Lim & Agnes (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from Juin & Jooky Tan (Loan)
MYR 100 from Poh Boon Fong (on behalf of SXI Buddhist Students Society)
MYR 10,000 from Fam Shan-Shan (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from John Fam (Loan)
MYR 500 from Phang Cheng Kar
MYR 100 from Lee Suat Yee
MYR 500 from Teo Chwee Hoon (on behalf of Lai Siow Kee)
MYR 200 from Mak Yuen Chau

We express our deep gratitude for the support and generosity.

If you have any enquiries, please write to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv


TOP