Correct Option
The correct option is Ramagrama
Explanation
Following the Mahaparinirvana (death) of the Buddha, his corporeal relics were cremated and divided into eight portions. These portions were distributed among eight different claimants (clans or kingdoms), who erected the first stupas over them. These are considered the original Saririk.
Option Analysis
- Ramagrama Ramagrama: Correct. The Koliyas of Ramagrama received one share of the Buddha's relics and built a stupa over it. According to Buddhist tradition (e.g., the Ashokavadana), when Emperor Ashoka later sought to open the original eight stupas to redistribute the relics into 84,000 new stupas, the stupa at Ramagrama was the only one he failed to open because it was fervently guarded by Nagas.
- Sarnath Sarnath: Incorrect. Sarnath is the site of the Buddha's first sermon (Dharmachakrapravartana). While Emperor Ashoka later built the Dharmarajika Stupa here, and the Dhamek Stupa was expanded in the Gupta period, it was not one of the sites that received the initial division of the cremated relics immediately after the Buddha's death.
- Amaravati Amaravati: Incorrect. The Great Stupa at Amaravati is a masterpiece of the Post-Mauryan period, flourishing primarily under the Satavahanas. It is not one of the original eight sites.
- Mathura Mathura: Incorrect. Mathura became a significant center for Buddhist art and the production of Buddha images (Mathura School of Art) during the Kushana period, but it is not listed as a location of an original relic stupa.
Key Takeaway
The eight original stupas were built at Rajagriha, Vaishali, Kapilavastu, Allakappa, Ramagrama, Vethadipa, Pava, and Kushinagar. Ramagrama is historically significant as the only original stupa left undisturbed by Emperor Ashoka.