12 months ago
ASI Revises Sarnath Plaque, Credits Local Ruler
Sarnath is a very important place for Buddhists because the Buddha gave his first sermon there.
The government is changing a sign at Sarnath.
The old sign said that British people first discovered it.
Now, the new sign will say that a local family, the Jagat Singh family, found it first.
They found old things while digging.
The government wants to make sure the sign is accurate and gives credit where it's due.
It is also nominated to be a UNESCO world heritage site.
ASI is revising a plaque at Sarnath to credit Jagat Singh's family for discovering the site's archaeological importance.
The revision challenges the historical account that the British first revealed Sarnath's significance.
Jagat Singh's family unearthed Sarnath's importance around 1787-88.
The site is where Buddha gave his first sermon and is nominated for UNESCO World Heritage.
Sarnath was sacked and burned in the 12th century.
- Who
- ASI, Jagat Singh's family, British, Alexander Cunningham
- What
- ASI is installing a corrected plaque at Sarnath crediting a local ruler's family for their role in uncovering the site's archaeological significance.
- Where
- Sarnath, near Varanasi, India
- When
- Plaque to be installed; original discovery around 1787-88.
- Why
- To correct historical inaccuracies regarding who first realized the archaeological importance of Sarnath.
Key facts
- Location
- Sarnath, near Varanasi, India
- Event
- ASI revising plaque crediting Jagat Singh's family
- ASI
- Installing a "corrected" plaque at Sarnath
- Historical Significance
- Site of Buddha's first sermon
- Original Plaque Content
- Credited British with site's importance
- Revised Information
- Credits Jagat Singh's family, who first uncovered site
Quotes
Historian Frederick Asher
Author of "Sarnath: A Critical History of the Place Where Buddhism Began (2020)"
“…the very act of erecting the lion pillar probably was intended to mark the place as the location of the Buddha’s first sermon.”
indianexpress.com
Archaeologist Alexander Cunningham
Founder of the ASI
“… Major Kittoe (responsible for some of the earliest scientific excavations at the site)… summed up his conclusions… ‘All has been sacked and burnt, priests, temples, idols, all together’…”
indianexpress.com
Asher
Historian
“…in 1193, Qutb-ud-din Aibek, the military commander of Muhammad of Ghor’s army, marched toward Varanasi, where he is said to have destroyed idols in a thousand temples. Sarnath very likely was among the casualties of this invasion…”
indianexpress.com
Historian B C Bhattacharya
Historian
“were thrown into the river Ganges”
indianexpress.com
Bhattacharya
Historian
“He was the first scholar to carry out the work of excavation systematically and on a scientific basis. As a result of his work, 476 architectural and sculptural relics and 41 inscriptions were discovered in one season”
indianexpress.com
