There are a number of twentieth century Buddhist
temples in Sarnath. Many of these Buddhist temples at Sarnath are built
and maintained by monks from Tibet, China and Japan but the main
Buddhist temple is the Mulagandhakuti Vihar. The main shrine (vihara),
called the Mulagandakuti, is said to be located at the place where
Buddha used to stay during his visits to Sarnath. There is a carved
sandstone railing inside the temple. In the Mulagandhakuti Vihara there
also is a Buddha walk.
The recent 'Mulagandhakuti Vihara' or the modern Buddhist temple is 110
feet high with an image of Buddha inside it. Buddhist relics discovered
at Taxila are enshrined in this 'Mulagandhkuti Vihara'. There are also
fine paintings on the walls of this temple by Japanese artist Kosetsu
Nosu. Buddhist services are conducted there. Besides the Mulagandhakuti
Vihara temple there are Chinese, Burmese and Jain temples nearby.
