The crowning and most glorious achievement of Anagarika Dharmapala’s lifelong sacrifices and struggles was the completion of the Mulagandhakuti Vihara at Sarnath. He began his life’s mission with the object of restoring the Maha Bodhi Temple at Buddha Gaya, which however he could not accomplish on account of the subtle machinations of the British administrators, who disliked any national movement, be it religious or political, and who made the Mahant just one of those dumb tools to thwart the growth of the slightest national consciousness. The construction of the Mulagandhakuti Vihara at Sarnath was taken up by the Anagarika towards the end of his life, and for this also he had to cross many a hurdle, being able to accomplish it only because there were among the British administrators a few exceptions like H.E. Sir Harcourt Butler and Sir John Marshall, who loved to see the progress of India in whatever sphere, it might be (as well as workers like Sri D. Valisinha, P. P. Siriwardene, Ven. K. Sirinivasa Nayaka, Thera, and helpers of the calibre of Dr. C. A. Hewavitarne), otherwise we could not think of an imperialistic Government agreeing not only to pay compensation for a mistake of one of their officials but also offering voluntarily a well laid out park to add to the scenic beauty of the magnificent Vihara.
Sarnath was, no doubt, a rendezvous of ascetics in the pre-Buddha days; but it was made famous by that Great Teacher who tramped the whole way from Gaya to Benares, about 100 miles. It became the most favourite haunt of the Buddhist monks and continued to be so up to the days of King Harsavardhana. Then for centuries it remained desolated and turned into a forgotten mass of ruins, till its buried treasures were discovered by the spade of the Archaeological Department. The works of the Department, being purely of scientific interest, appealed only to a few antiquarians and could not create a stir in the Buddhistic world. It was the Anagarika who put in all his efforts and perhaps his last coin to rouse the Buddhists of Asia from their slumber and make them feel that they owed their faith to the Great Lord of Sarnath, Sakyamuni Buddha. Just for this achievement of Anagarika Dharmapala, even leaving aside his innumerable other works in connection with the religion, every lover of Buddhist culture must bow down his head to the saintly architect of the Buddhist renaissance.
The opening ceremony of the Mulagandhakuti Vihara was celebrated on the 11th November 1931. At 2-15 p.m. the Director-General of Archaeology, Rai Bahadur Dayaram Sahni, as the representative of H. E. Lord Willingdon, presented the bone relics of the Buddha to the Maha Bodhi Society with the following message of H.E. the Viceroy and Governor – General of India: “It gives me great pleasure to be able to present to the Maha Bodhi Society certain well authenticated relics of the Sakya Sage, Gautama Buddha, and it is a matter of deep gratification to me that they will be enshrined at a place where the Buddha preached His first sermon. I congratulate the Society on having built a Vihara worthy of the reception of these relics”. The relics were received this time not by the bare-footed and almost bare-bodied Sir Ashutosh, who had then departed from the earthly sphere, but by another son of Bengal, the Hon’ble Mr. Justice Manmatha Nath Mookerji, President of the Calcutta Maha Bodhi Society. Justice Mookerji handed over the relics to Mr. Rajah Hewavitarne, who carried them in a long procession, placing the casket containing the relics on the back of an elephant sent for the occasion by H.H. the Maharaja of Benares. When the procession reached the Vihara the relics were received by Sri Devapriya Valisinha, who handed them over to the oldest monk present, viz., Aggasara Mahasthavira of Chittagong. The casket of relics was at last deposited in a vault underneath the pedestal of the image. At 3-45 p.m. a mass meeting was held presided over by the Venerable Sri Ratanasara Mahanayaka Thera of Ceylon. The Hon’ble Raja Sir Moti Chand, as Chairman of the Reception Committee, delivered his speech welcoming the visitors. Then the messages sent by distinguished persons were read out, speeches were delivered by some of the members present, and Anagarika Dharmapala delivered a stirring address. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru attended the meeting with his wife and sisters and presented, on behalf of the Working Committee of the Congress, the National Flag as a token of good will. The President then delivered his address in Pali (see M.B.J., 1931, p. 527).
Ven. Anagarika Dharmapala is being on his way to attend the opening ceremony of Vihara
On the day following (ie., 12th November) was planted ceremoniously three saplings of the Bodhi tree brought from Anuradhapura, and Convention was held under the presidentship of Principal S. N. Das Gupta of the Calcutta Sanskrit College. On the 3rd day (ie., 18th Nov.) was enshrined the Holy Relics and the images of Buddha received from various places, after which a public meeting was held under the president- ship of Mr. B. L. Broughton of the British Maha Bodhi Society. In spite of his extremely delicate health the Anagarika Ven. Devamitta Dhammapala, worked for about a month to make the ceremony a success. He was aided by his right-hand untiring disciple Devapriya Valisinha, who worked without any respite for nearly two months, as well as by the Samaneras and Mr. Susil Guha Khasnabis. Many other persons, including Sri Rash Behari Roy, helped the Maha Bodhi Society to make the function as excellent as possible. There were 1,000 visitors, of whom about 500 came from Tibet, Burma, Siam, Ceylon and other Buddhist countries.
The story of this Vihara does not end here. At the request of Sri D. Valisinha, Mr. Broughton offered, at the opening ceremony in 1931, Rs. 10,000/- as his donation for having the walls of the Vihara decorated with fresco paintings by a Japanese artist. Mr. Kosetsu Nosu and his assistant Mr. Kawai undertook the task and worked hard for three and a half years. The remuneration offered to the artist was very small but he finished the work just for his love of art and his great regard for Buddha, notwithstanding his pecuniary loss. This sacrifice and devotion will certainly be recompensed by the merit that had accrued on account of his services to the cause of Buddhism. A special function to declare open the frescoes of the Vihara was held on the 18th May 1936 under the presidentship of the famous founder and Vice-Chancellor of the Benares Hindu University, Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya.
It is a matter of gratification that the Japanese artists entered into the Indian spirit of painting and treated the scenes and figures in true Indian style. The scene depicting the night of the Great Renunciation really touches one’s heart, while the picture of Prince Siddhartha at the Ploughing Festival is charming.
Mr. Nosu and Mr. Kawai were given a send-off on the 13th September 1936 by the members of the Society and the International Buddhist University Association. The frescoes of Buddha’s life painted by these Japanese artists at Sarnath strengthened further the cultural link that united India with Japan.
On the 11th November 1933, the second anniversary day of Sarnath Vihara, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru not only paid a visit to the shrine but also spoke a few words suited to the occasion (M.B.J., 1983, p. 514).
On the 16th January 1934 Their Excellencies Lord and Lady Willingdon, along with H. H. the Maharaja of Benares, visited the Vihara. According to the Indian custom Their Excellencies put off their shoes and walked bare-footed within the precincts of the Vihara, and expressed their admiration for its beautiful structure and mural paintings (M.B.J., 1934, p. 82). In December 1935 the famous Japanese poet Yone Noguchi went to Sarnath and stayed there with Mr. Nosu, the artist, for three days. He spent most of his time in examining the ruins, and writing his impressions. He showed great interest in the work of the Maha Bodhi Society.
On the 19th January, 1936 Their Excellencies Sir Harry Haig and Lady Haig, accompanied by the Commissioner of Benares, Mr. Panna Lall, paid a visit to the Vihara and were much impressed by the edifice and its surroundings.
A week later came to Sarnath the highly venerated Lama of Tibet, Tumo Geshe Rimpochhe, along with forty other Lamas, and stopped at Sarnath for about a week. They were shown round the places of interest by Mr. Laden La, who took this opportunity to paint the image of Buddha in real gold.
On the 1st August 1936 Their Excellencies the Viceroy and Marchioness of Linlithgow, along with Mr. Panna Lall, went round the Vihara, entered the Shrine Hall, and took much interest in the paintings of the Japanese artist.
On the 17th November 1939 H. R. H. Prince Paribratra of Siam with his wife and daughters visited the Sarnath shrine, worshipped the image, and went round the various spots of interest.
On the 9th August 1938 Their Excellencies Sir Maurice Hallett and Lady Hallett, accompanied by their son and staff, visited the Sarnath Vihara and appreciated the frescoes. His Holiness Tai Hsu, the renowned Chinese High Priest, visited the Vihara in 1933 accompanied by Prof. Tan Yun Shan, and after being taken in procession round Benares was given an enthusiastic reception. His presence synchronised with the Asoka Day organized for the first time by the Maha Bodhi Society, and both His Holiness Tai Hsu and Pandit Nehru addressed the mass meeting which was held on this occasion.
These are only a handful of names out of thousands, but it should be stated that the Vihara is visited by everyone who comes to Benares, all of whom carry away golden impressions of the place. The Vihara has perhaps done more than any other agency for the revival of Buddhism in India, and the Anniversary Celebration which Sri D. Valisinha has organized as a popular mela (fair) is now an outstanding feature of its activities.
SIMA OF THE VIHARA
In large monasteries there is always a holy spot technically known as “Sima” in which is performed the ceremony of ordination (Upasampada). In the Vinaya Pitaka thera are elaborate rules for fixing the boundaries (sima) of this plot of land, and for this reason it is designated “Sima”. On 16th January, 1938, a plot of land about 50 ft. x 50 ft. marked by 8
stone pillars was dedicated to the Sangha for the purpose of ordination by the Anagarika. Ten saintly Bhikshus, headed by Ven. M. Siddhartha, Anunayaka Thera of Mallwatte Chapter, and the two Principals of the Vidyodaya and Vidyalankara Pirivenas, who came from Ceylon, consecrated the spot according to the Vinaya rules. Soon after the consecration of the Sima the Anagarika was given the higher ordination (Upasampada) and was made a full-fledged bhikshu, having had his first ordination (Pabbajja) on the 13th July 1931 at the Mulagandhakuti Vihara from Ven. B. Rewata Nayaka Thera (M.B.J., 1931, p. 386). It should be mentioned that Mr. L. Koon Wa, the Society’s representative in Burma, had donated Rs. 5,000/- for the construction of this Sima in memory of his mother.
THE VIHARA LIBRARY
A modern Vihara cannot be regarded as complete unless it has attached to it a good Library. The Society constructed a Library Building, having one hall and four rooms with verandahs, at an estimated cost of Rs. 8,000/-. It began with the large collection of books presented by Rai Bahadur Pandit Sheo Narain, a devoted member of the Maha Bodhi Society (M.B.J., 1931, pp. 41, 579). In 1934 it received as a gift Mr. C. T. Strauss’ collection of English and German works on Buddhism (M.B.J., 1934, p. 279), while through the good offices of Prof. Tan Yun Shan a full set of the Chinese Tripitaka was also received.
SARNATH DHARMASALA
In 1933 the Maha Bodhi Society circulated the proposal that each Buddhist country, viz., Japan, Siam, Burma, Ceylon, China, Tibet and Nepal should build a cottage at Rs. 7,000/- each at Sarnath and maintain therein two Bhikshus of their own who would study Pali, Sanskrit and other languages and thus form a nucleus of the International Buddhist Institute. The above proposal of the Society did not materialise, but still, the idea has not been given up.
Fortunately for the Buddhist pilgrims a multi-millionaire family of India, consisting of very highly cultured members, the well-known Birlas of Pilani, offered to build a spacious magnificent guest house at Sarnath, and the foundation stone of the same was laid by Pandit Madan Mohan whose expense the Guest House was built, held the opinion that there was Malaviya on the 28th December 1934. Seth Jugal Kishore Birla, at very little fundamental difference between Hinduism and Buddhism in SOUVENIR ethical, philosophical and psychological principles and this fact impelled him to render service to Hinduism and Buddhism alike. The Dharmasala or Guest House was formally opened by the Consul General of China, Mr. Chen Chang Lou, at a meeting held on the 10th January 1939 under the presidentship of that famous scholar and cultural architect of India, Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya. The palatial Dharma. sala contained 32 rooms with necessary adjuncts and was built at a cost of more than half a lakh of rupees. The entire Dharmasala was given away by the Birlas to the Maha Bodhi Society, but its maintenance charges are borne by them. Sri D. Valisinha, at whose request Birlaji undertook the work, spent a good deal of his time supervising the construction, and in getting the building completed.
