Introducing Sarnath
Buddha came to Sarnath, 10km northeast of Varanasi, to preach his message of the middle way to nirvana after he achieved enlightenment at Bodhgaya. He gave his famous first sermon here to a handful of followers in a deer park, which has been recreated. In the 3rd century BC Ashoka had magnificent stupas and monasteries erected as well as an engraved pillar. When the Chinese traveller Xuan Zang dropped by in AD 640, Sarnath boasted a 100m-high stupa and 1500 monks living in large monasteries. However, soon after, Buddhism went into decline, and when Muslim invaders destroyed and desecrated the city’s buildings, Sarnath disappeared altogether. It was not rediscovered until 1835 when British archaeologists started excavations and Sarnath regained some of its past glory.
Advertisement
Today it’s one of the four important sites on the Buddhist circuit (along with Bodhgaya, Kushinagar and Lumbini in Nepal), and attracts followers from around the world. An easy day or half-day trip from Varanasi, Sarnath is a green and peaceful place to spend some time and, along with the Buddhist ruins and monasteries, there’s an excellent museum.
Last updated: Feb 17, 2009
Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
-
RE: India Visa + overland pilgrimage
by trekkingmonk 02 September 2011
Some extra advice on your trip. While walking down into the sacred area of Kusinara there is a Vietnamese pilgrims rest house that looks…
-
RE: How to divide time between Agra and Varanasi?
by trekkingmonk 02 September 2011
If you like a different kind of religious atmosphere than Hindu, you can spend a whole day visiting the Buddhist sacred site of Sarnath,…
-
Re: India Visa + overland pilgrimage
by trekkingmonk 02 September 2011
P.S. It is probably better to return from Kusinara to Gorakpur and take a train to Varanasi to visit Sarnath, then train from Varanasi…
In our shop
Bags feeling light?
Coffee table looking bare?
Get your guidebooks, travel goods, even individual chapters, right here.
Advertisement
