After leaving the house, Prince Siddhartha traveled a lot and tried to find the ultimate truth. He attained enlightenment at Bodhgaya in Bihar near the old kingdom of Magadh. After attaining enlightenment the first sermon he preached was in Saranath near Lucknow . But Lord Buddha spent most of his time in Sravasti.
Sravasti was founded by a King called Sravast and named it after him. Sravasti was under the rule of the Koshal dynasty when Buddha came and stayed here. He received great patronage from the Kings of the Koshal dynasty who not only patronized the philosophy but also helped to spread the Buddhist doctrine all over the world.
It was in Sravasti that Buddha multifold himself a thousand times, to silence his critics, thus giving the story of the miracle of Sravasti, which manifested in most of the Buddhist paintings and sculptures. Buddha is supposed to have stayed here for 24 monsoon seasons. Probably the longest period he stayed anywhere in his entire life. The small villages of Sachet and Mahet nearby house many Stupas and temples proving the association of Buddha with the place.
Sravasti has the famous Anandbodhi tree which is believed to be the offshoot of the tree that was planted by the favorite disciple of Buddha, Anand.
Sravasti in Uttar Pradesh
carries equal importance for the Jain followers as well as it is supposed to be the birthplace of Tirthankar Sambhavnath. The Shobhnath temple is a revered site for the Jains.Sahet is the site of the Jetvana monastery, the monastery donated to Gautam Buddha by a wealthy merchant. There are many Stupas and temples in the area. The Stupas and monasteries mainly belong to the Koshal dynasty and the temples belong to the Gupta dynasty.
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