Buddha gave a famous lecture, referred to as Dharmachakra, “Turning the Wheel of the Law,” here at Deer Park over 2,500 years ago. After years of meditation and austerities, Buddha attained enlightenment at Bodh Gaya and then came here to Sarnath around 530 BC, where he delivered his first speech. Sarnath is a peaceful place located 10km northeast of Varanasi. It takes a couple of hours to see everything here and it is an interesting place.

Hiuen Tsang, from China, visited the site about 640 AD and described what was there then. There was a monastery that had 1,500 priests, a 60m (200 ft) high vihara, an Ashoka’s stone stupa, a 21m (70 ft) high stone pillar, a magnificent 90m (300 ft) high stupa, and many other monuments. Ashoka built impressive stupas and monasteries here. Muslim invaders destroyed many of the buildings and monuments. In 1836 the British started to excavate the area. Now most of the old monuments are in ruins and there is not much activity here.

There are several modern Buddhist monasteries here, but Bodh Gaya and Dharamsala are much better places to study Buddhism.

The post office is near the Tourist Bungalow.

Places to See
Most of the places to see here are in a peaceful garden area.

The Dhamekha Stupa is an imposing cylindrical tower 34m (112 ft) high. It dates back to the 5th or 6th century, and the last enlargement to it was supposed to be have been made in the 12th century. It is believed to mark the place of Lord Buddha’s sermon. Slightly to the west is the Ashoka Column, dating back to the 3rd century. The lion capital that was on top of the column is now in the Sarnath Museum.

The “main shrine” building dates from the 3rd century BC to the 5th century AD. All that is left is the foundation. The Ashoka Column is in front of the main shrine. North of here is the excavated ruins of a Buddhists monastery, where there are four pillars that are said to mark the room where Buddha stayed.

The Dharmarajika Stupa, which is a short distance to the west of the Dhamekha Stupa, is attributed to Ashoka. In its core is a green marble casket containing pieces of human bone, decayed pearls, gold leaf, and other precious objects. It has been enlarged six times, the last time being in the 12th century.

The Digambara Jain temple, southwest of the Dhamekh Stupa, built in 1824, is said to be where Shreyanshnath, the 11th Jain tirthankara was born. Inside the temple are good frescoes, which depict the life of Mahavir, the founder of the present day Jain religion.

Archaeological Museum
Across the street from the main site is an interesting Archaeological Museum. It has many fine items from the Sarnath area, including a Lion Capital, which is an extremely valuable sculpture that was originally on the large Ashoka Pillar west of the Main Site. The Lion Capital is the state emblem of India. It is 2m (6½ ft) high with an elephant, lion, bull, and horse, each separated by a wheel at its base; above these are four lions looking outward. It is worth seeing.

There are sculptures dating back to the Mauryan, Gupta and Kushana periods. The museum also has deities, which date back to the 9th to 12th centuries.

There is a guidebook called Sarnath, by VS Agrawala, sold at the ticket office. At the ticket office you can also get books about some of the other archaeological sites in India. Open daily except Friday and government holidays, 10 am to 5 pm; admission Rs 2.

Buddhist Temples
The Mulagandhakuti Vihara is a modern temple built by the Mahabodhi Society in 1931. The silver casket in the temple is said to have the original relics of the Buddha in it. It was recovered from the ruins of the first century temple. The temple has interesting murals depicting the life story of Buddha. The murals were painted by a well-known Japanese artist, Kosetsu Nosu, in 1936. Outside the temple is a bo tree transplanted from Sri Lanka. It is said to be a descendant of the original tree under which Buddha sat when he attained enlightenment. There is a collection of rare Buddhist literature here. The temple is closed between 11.30 am and 1.30 pm.

There are five modern Buddhist temples. The Chinese Temple has a nice garden and the highly decorated Tibetan Temple, has a picture of the Dalai Lama on the altar. There are also Burmese, Japanese and Thai temples.

Festivals
The full moon day of Vaisakha (April-May) is observed as the anniversary of Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and death. The full moon in the month of Asadh (July-August) is considered the anniversary of his first sermon.

Tours
A tour goes to Sarnath first and then Ramnagar Fort, if there is time, departing from Varanasi. Hours are 2.30 to 6.30 pm in the summer and 2 pm to 6 pm in the winter.

Where to Stay and Eat
UPTDC Tourist Bungalow (42002) has rooms with common bath for Rs 150 and Rs 150/200 with bath. There are also dorm beds for Rs 40. There is a tourist office and a restaurant here.
It is possible to stay at some of the monasteries, such as the pleasant, very basic Burmese Vihara. The basic Birla Rest House is near Mulagandhakuti Vihara.
Rangoli Garden Restaurant serves full meals and Anand is a basic South Indian place.

Travel
There are many buses from the Varanasi Junction railway station (Rs 4) and Varanasi’s Civil Court in the Cantonment (Rs 4). It costs Rs 45 to go the 20 minutes from Varanasi by auto-rickshaw. There are shared auto-rickshaws from the stand by the Civil Court and from the stands in the Godaulia or Lahurabir areas for Rs 10.

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