Settlement in Early Historic Ganga Plain

by Chirantani Das | 143,447 words

This page relates “Position of Sarnath at the physical and cultural periphery of Varanasi” as it appears in the case study regarding the settlements in the Early Historic Ganga Plain made by Chirantani Das. The study examines this process in relation to Rajagriha and Varanasi (important nodal centres of the respective Mahajanapadas named Magadha and Kashi).

Part 1 - Position of Sārnāth at the physical and cultural periphery of Vārāṇasī

Within the same historical context of middle Gaṅgā plains of the early historic phase from 6th century BCE to 3rd century CE Sārnāth reveals another unique centre and satellite relation. The settlement types found in the Buddhist literature shows there were villages, towns, market towns, cities and large cities. Early Buddhism, primarily being a city-based culture mainly restricted its activities to Śrāvastī, Rājagṛha, Campā, Vārāṇasī, Kauśāmbī and Saketa–all large cities. These were the preferred locations because the early Buddhism successfully drew its patronage and support from the urban population by large and the traders and even kings. We see them freely donating them towards the Buddhist order.

It is worthwhile to note that the location of the monasteries described in the Buddhist texts in most cases were found in exact locations. The famous Jetavana monastery at Kauśāmbī was built by the famous banker Anāthapinḍaka, the Ghositarāma monastery, located within the city limits of Kauśāmbī, the Jīvaka’s monastery at the limits of Rājagṛha, at Vaiśālī the gift of a mango grove by Ᾱmrapālī make it prominent that everywhere these sites are located Buddhist site was located in the periphery of Vārāṇasī at Sārnāth. In a Buddhist site, three necessary components are a stūpa, a caitya or congregation hall and a vihāra or the monastery for residential purposes. Inside the stūpathere should be the corporeal remains of the Buddha.[1]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Dilip K. Chakrabarti, The Buddhist Sites Across South Asia As Influenced by Political and Economic Forces, World Archaeology, Vol.27, No.2, Buddhist Archaeology, October, 1995, pp.185-202.

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