Sarnath
Sārnāth / सारनाथ
Also known as: Deer Park, Isipatana, Rishipattana, Mrigadava
Religions: Buddhism | Place Type: Pilgrimage site | Region: Asia
Overview
Sarnath is the place where in the 5th century Gautama Buddha delivered his first sermon after attaining enlightenment, an event known as the "Turning of the Wheel of Dharma" (Dhammacakkappavattana). The site is located 10 kilometers northeast of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, India. It contains the Dhamek Stupa, ancient monastery ruins, and the famous Lion Capital of Ashoka, which became India's national emblem.
Present
Sarnath is managed by the Archaeological Survey of India and attracts Buddhist pilgrims and tourists from around the world. The Mulagandha Kuti Vihara temple, built by the Maha Bodhi Society in 1931, is an active place of worship containing a Buddha statue and frescoes depicting scenes from Buddha's life. The temple also houses relics of the Buddha.
The Dharma Chakra Jina Vihar is a modern monastery and educational center. The Chaukhandi Stupa, located 800 meters from the main complex, commemorates where Buddha reunited with his first five disciples.
The site remains an active center of Buddhist learning and practice, with temples built by various Buddhist nations including Myanmar, Thailand, Tibet, China, Japan, and Sri Lanka, each reflecting their architectural traditions.
Religious Significance
Buddhism
Sarnath is one of the four most sacred sites in Buddhism, marking the place where the Buddha delivered his first teaching after attaining enlightenment at Bodh Gaya. In Sarnath, he met five former companions who had previously rejected him after he abandoned extreme ascetic practices. they were moved by his transformed presence and became his first disciples.
In this first sermon, Buddha introduced the fundamental teachings of Buddhism: the Middle Way (the path between self-indulgence and self-mortification), the Four Noble Truths (the truth of suffering, its cause, its cessation, and the path to end suffering), and the Noble Eightfold Path (right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration). This teaching established the core philosophy that would spread across Asia and the world.
The site is called the Deer Park because, according to legend, a bodhisattva (Buddha in a previous life) appeared as a deer king who offered his own life to save a pregnant doe, impressing the local king who declared the area a sanctuary for deer. Sarnath was also the birthplace of Kassapa Buddha, a predecessor to Gautama Buddha.
History & Structure
Buddha's first sermon around 528 BCE established Sarnath as a major Buddhist center. The site flourished as a place of learning and pilgrimage for over 1,500 years.
In 249 BCE, Emperor Ashoka visited Sarnath and erected a commemorative pillar topped with a carved stone sculpture of four Asiatic lions — a sculpture later adopted as India's national emblem.
The Dhamek Stupa, standing 31.3 meters high and 28.3 meters in diameter at its base, marks the spot where Buddha gave his first sermon. Originally built by Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE, it was enlarged to its current size around the 5th century CE.
Extensive ruins of ancient monasteries and temples dating from the 3rd century BCE to the 12th century CE document Sarnath's importance as a center of learning. The site was destroyed during Turkish invasions around 1194 CE and later identified and excavated by British archaeologist Alexander Cunningham in 1835–1836, who conclusively established it as the location of Buddha's first sermon.
Resources
- Wikipedia: Sarnath