Sravasti
is an important historical and religious attraction in Uttar Pradesh.
The place has for long been attached to Lord Buddha and his times. It is
said that Lord Buddha spent 25 years living in the monastery of Jetavana
that is situated in Sravasti. The city also has the pride of being the
place where many of Vinaya rules, Jatakas and Sutras were first
discussed.It is at Sravasti only where Lord Buddha is supposed to have astonished rival teachers by performing miracles. It is in Sravasti that Buddha transformed Angulimal from a dacoit into a Buddhist monk. He also delivered many important sermons here. The two 21 meters high pillars erected by Emperor Ashoka mark these sites. They are on either side of the eastern gateway of the Jetavana monastery. Sravasti was a flourishing center of learning during the Gupta period too. When the famed Chinese traveler Hiuen Tsang visited this site, he found several damaged Stupas and ruins of monasteries at this place.
Saheth is one of the most visited clusters of shrines in the Buddhist tourism circuit of Eastern Uttar Pradesh. Saheth covers an area of around 35 square Kilometers and is located in the very heart of Sravasti. The site falls on your right when you move nearly a kilometer Southwest from Maheth. The place rose to prominence when excavation works revealed that Saheth was the original site of once magnanimous Jetavana monastery. The place saw sudden spurt in tourism after that discovery.
Maheth is another important cluster of shrines in Sravasti. Though not as famous as Saheth, Maheth also has a cluster of shrines that are very popular among the tourists visiting Sravasti. In fact, Maheth was the actual site of the erstwhile Sravasti city. Spread across the area of near about 400 acres, Maheth was the site of numerous shrines and Stupas. In fact, Maheth has been identified with the remains of the city proper. Nevertheless, the site for long had remained abandoned and ignored. It was only in the early decades of 20th century when the excavation works were initiated that the site raised to prominence.
