Sacred Steps: A Pilgrimage of Faith and Inclusion to Ashoka Stambaya in Isipathana Migadaya in India

Embarking on a #pilgrimage to #Dambadiwa in #India is a deeply meaningful journey for any #Buddhist—but for persons with #disabilities, it represents something even more profound. #Manique Gunaratne together with the team from #Damrivi Foundation visited the Ashoka Stambaya at Isipathana Migadaya in #Varanasi in India in November 2024. It is a powerful act of spiritual empowerment, resilience, and equal devotion. Among the sacred sites, #Isipathana #Migadaya holds special reverence as the place where the #Lord #Buddha delivered his first sermon. Here stands the majestic #Ashoka Stambha (pillar), erected by #Emperor #Ashoka to commemorate the Dharma. This beautifully carved pillar, topped with the lion capital—the national emblem of India—symbolizes strength, wisdom, and unity in diversity. For pilgrims with disabilities, witnessing such timeless monuments is not just a visit, but a connection to a rich spiritual legacy that transcends barriers. This pilgrimage is a reminder that the path to enlightenment is open to all, regardless of physical ability.

The Ashoka Stambha at Isipathana Migadaya, is one of the most iconic and revered symbols of Buddhist heritage. Erected by Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE, this sandstone pillar marks the sacred site where the Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon, setting in motion the Wheel of Dharma (Dharmachakkra).

The pillar originally stood over 15 meters tall and is crowned with the magnificent Lion Capital, which features four lions seated back to back, symbolizing power, courage, pride, and confidence. Below the lions are carvings of a bull, a horse, an elephant, and a lion, separated by wheels (chakras), representing the spread of Dharma in all directions. This Lion Capital has been adopted as the National Emblem of India, symbolizing justice and peace.

Though the pillar itself remains broken with only its base in place at Sarnath today, the artistry and spiritual significance of the Ashoka Stambha endure. It stands not just as a historical monument, but as a testament to Ashoka’s transformation from a warrior king to a patron of peace and Buddhism. The pillar continues to inspire pilgrims from around the world—including those with disabilities—reminding all that the path of wisdom and compassion knows no boundaries.

ධම්මරාජික ස්ථූපය ආසන්නයේ පිහිටුවා තිබූ මෙම අශෝක ස්ථම්භය 12 වන සියවසේ ආක්‍රමණ වලදී කැඩී ගිය නමුත් බොහෝ කැබලි මුල් ස්ථානයේම පවතී.  අද ඇත්තේ  නටඹුන් පමණි. මෙහි උස මීටර් 12ක්ව තිබී ඇත. උපගුප්ත මහරහතන්වහන්සේගේ මගපෙන්වීම යටතේ බුදුරජාණන්වහන්සේට සම්බන්ධ ස්ථාන දැන හඳුනාගත් අශෝක රජු අශෝක කුළුණක් එහි පිහිටවූයේ ක්‍රි.පූ. 3 වන සියවසේදී ය. කුළුණු හිස සිව් දිශාවට මුහුණලා සිටින සිංහ හිස් හතරක් කැටයම් කරවා නිර්මාණය කොට ඇත. අද එය ඉන්දියානු පුරාවිද්‍යා කෞතුකාගාරයේදී දැකිය හැක. එසේම ඉන්දියානු රාජ්‍යයේ රාජ්‍ය ලාංඡනය බවට ද එකී සිංහ රුව පත්ව තිබේ. කුළුණ සෑදීමෙන් පමණක් නොනැවතුන අශෝක එහි ස්ථූපයක් ද කරන්නට යෙදුනි. එය හැඳින්වෙන්නේ ‘ධමෙඛ’ ස්ථූපය ලෙසිනි. මේ ස්ථූපයේ අද උස මීටර් 31.3 කි.

 

#Manique Gunaratne

E-mail – manique.g@gmail.com   kisharatrust@gmail.com