Sarnath

Sarnath, ten kilometres from Varanasi, is where the Buddha gave his first sermon after attaining enlightenment at Bodh Gaya — the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, the setting in motion of the wheel of Dharma — and the site has been a place of Buddhist pilgrimage since the 3rd century BC.

The Dhamek Stupa, built by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BC and subsequently enlarged to its current 28-metre height, marks the spot where the Buddha preached the first sermon and is the most important Buddhist monument at Sarnath. Ashoka erected one of his edicts here as well — the Ashoka Pillar, whose lion capital was adopted as the national emblem of India in 1950 and is reproduced on every Indian banknote.

The Sarnath museum, one of the oldest in India, houses the finest collection of Buddhist sculpture in the world, including the Ashoka lion capital in its original form and the 5th-century seated Buddha from the Gupta period that is widely regarded as the highest point of Buddhist figurative art in India. Coming directly from Varanasi — from the Hindu city of death and devotion — to this quieter, greener, more contemplative site is one of the most complete religious contrasts available within a single morning's travel.

Places to Visit in Sarnath

• Dhamek Stupa
• Sarnath Archaeological Museum
• Mulagandha Kuti Vihara
• Ashoka Pillar site

Things to Do in Sarnath

• Buddhist heritage site walking tour
• Archaeological museum visit
• Sunset at the Dhamek Stupa