Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh

Situated in the Varanasi district of Uttar Pradesh, Sarnath forms one of the important pilgrimage sites for Buddhist tourism in India. An important cornerstone for Buddhism, Sarnath is the place where the Buddha delivered his first ever sermon after he attained enlightenment in Bodh Gaya. For Buddhists, Sarnath makes for a blessed destination to visit on a pilgrimage tour since it is here that the religion was said to have been set in motion as he delivered his first sermon known as the “Maha Dharma Chakra Pravartan Sutra”, and translates to “Setting in Motion the Wheel of Dharma”. At Sarnath, he helped spread the wisdom he gained from his enlightenment to the people that would go on to form the first members of his Sangha, or the Buddhist community. These people were the five ascetics with whom the Buddha started out his journey of renouncing worldly pleasures in search of answers.

After attaining enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, he met the ascetics at the Deer Park in Sarnath, where he partook in disseminating the knowledge he gained of the understanding of this world and beyond. It is at Sarnath that he taught them that neither asceticism, nor hedonism is the way to find happiness and peace in life, and in order to reach enlightenment, one must find a middle ground between the two concepts. He taught the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path of Buddhism, the founding ideas and beliefs of Buddhism. Being one of the popular buddhist tourist destinations in India, exploring Sarnath on a tourism expedition can lead one to find many places of interest for devotees and tourists alike.

Some of the best places to visit in Sarnath, therefore include the Dhamek Stupa which is one of the most prominent structures in the village, and has been erected to mark the site of the Deer Park where the Buddha gave out the first sermon. The current structure that exists has been built in 500 CE after the original one built by Emperor Ashoka of the Mauryan Empire in 249 BCE. A marvelous structure, the walls of the Dhamek Stupa have carvings of birds, humans, as well as various inscriptions. The Chaukhandi Stupa is yet another fascinating tourist place to visit in Sarnath.

The Stupa is said to have been built between the 4th and the 6th centuries during the reign of the Gupta Dynasty and marks the place where the Buddha met with his first disciples while traveling from Bodh Gaya to Sarnath. Also built by Emperor Ashoka, another important place in Sarnath includes the Ashoka Pillar. The pillar has been carved out of stone and has four lions at the top, a legacy of the emperor. At the base of the pillar, a bull, lion, elephant, and a horse can be seen and are said to portray the different phases of the Buddha's life. The statue of the Giant Buddha towering over at a height of 25 meters located in the middle of a lush garden and the nearby Buddhist Thai Temple named the Wat Thai Temple are some of the other places to explore on a visit to Sarnath, along with the Tibetan Buddhist Monastery, and the temple of Mulagandha Kuti Vihar for an immersive experience.