Sravasti
A holy place for the people following Buddhism, Sravasti served as a capital city for the Kingdom of Kosala. It is considered to be a holy place by the Buddhists people, since this is the very location where miracles were performed by Buddha. It is believed that Buddha produced multiple images of himself, which is considered as one of the marvels.
During the life span of Buddha, this place was a popular seat of Buddhism. Numerous summer months were spent by Buddha here. He also gave numerous significant discourses here. This ancient city of Sravasti is located on the river beds of the river named Rapti. This place is also renowned for being the birthplace of Buddha as well as the location, where he was brought up and then achieved enlightenment.
PLACES TO SEE
Maheth: 400 acres of land is covered by Maheth. This place contains the relics of an ancient city. By means of archaeological excavations one came to discover the huge city gates, the ramparts and the remnants of the other several architectures, which speaks of the former splendor and affluence of Sravasti.
One can find the temple of Sobhanath here as well as the Buddhist shrines named Pakki Kuti and Kacchi Kuti. However, those shrines got transformed to Brahmanical temples.
Sobhanath Temple: This location is considered to be the location, where Jain Tirthankar Sambhavnath was born. This place is respected and adored by the Jain pilgrims.
Saheth: 32 acres of land is covered by Saheth. The distance between this place and Maheth is a quarter of a mile. This was the location for the monastery called Jetavana monastery. It came to be a significant location for pilgrims, which contained several places for worship, stupas and monasteries. The existence of these stupas can be traced back to the time period of the Kushanas. The temples have been constructed in the Gupta Style of architecture.
The origin of one of the most ancient stupas can be traced back to the time period of 3rd century BC. It has remains of the Buddha. In this place, the discovery of a massive idol of Buddha took place. At present, this statue is in the care of the Indian Museum in Kolkata.
HOW TO REACH SRAVASTI
By Air: The air terminal in Lucknow is the closest airport. It is located at a distance of 176 Kms from Sravasti.
By Rail: The closest railway station is situated in Balrampur, which is located at a distance of 17 Kms from Sravasti.
By Road: One can reach this place via frequent run buses.
