A Pilgrimage Special: Dhamek Stupa

Where we tread, the serene grounds at the Deer Park - Xuanzang was there in 640 AD and had witnessed over 1,500 priests there. The Deer park houses among its sacred ancient monuments the imposing cylindrical Dhamek Stupa. The lower portion of the stupa is encased in stone with carvings from the Gupta period and when Cunningham bored a shaft through it to look for relics, he discovered remains of an earlier stupa of Mauryan bricks and therefore thought to be raised by King Asoka. A slab with Buddha's creed in the character of the 6th and 7th century discovered here is also used by the Archaeological Survey of India to support the claim that this is the site where Buddha delievered his first Sermon...

Moving on to Dhamek Stupa...