"The Holy land of Buddha" a Sarnath Travel Page by Rupanworld

It is said that after spending about seven weeks at Bodh Gaya (named after Buddha Gaya), the Buddha went to the deer park at Sarnath, to convert the five ascetics who had left him when he went to Bodh Gaya. It is said that Sarnath derives its name from Saranganatha (Lord of the Deer). In this park only the Buddha is said to have delivered his teachings and set the Wheel of Law (Maha Dharmachakra Pravartan) into motion. A day before his death, he named Sarnath along with Lumbini, Bodh Gaya and Kushinagar as the four places that his followers should consider sacred. Modern day Sarnath is a very small town in the state of Uttar Pradesh at a distance of only 10 kilometers from the holy Hindu city of Varanasi. So if you ever visit Varanasi, do not miss an opportunity to visit this wonderful town. I bet you will be in for an unique experience.

Sarnath is a very very green place with lots of trees around. The place is very calm and you have a very holy feeling in your heart when you visit the place. There are very few people around, but lots of tourist. It is a very small town and so once you reach there, all the tourist spots are just within your walking distance.

It is a town very rich in Buddhist cultures and temples. Some of the monuments here are more than 2000 years old. Famous Indian King Ashoka had built a Stupa here surrounded by a pillar. This was called the Dharmarajika Stupa. On the top of the pillar was sculpted the heads of four Lions back to back. This broken top of the pillar today represents the national emblem of India and is one of the main attractions at the Archaelogical museum of Sarnath.

There are a number of foreign temples at Sarnath like the Tibetian temple, the Chinese temple, the Japanese temple and the Burmese temple which also attract tourists.

Among other famous tourist attractions in Sarnath are the famous temple of Mul-Gandha kuti Vihar. There are also other ruins of stupas like the Dhamek Stupa and monasteries here. The archaeological museum at Sarnath is another attractive place for the tourists to visit. It houses a very rich collection of statues and sculptures of the Buddha.

If you come to Sarnath, don't forget to take back with you a momento in the form of a mini sculptured Buddha idol which you can find in plenty in all the temporary footpath shops at as less a price as Rs. 10.