Sarnath is revered as the prominent Buddhist pilgrimage in India, it is one of the four holiest centres, located 10 km away from Varanasi. A tranquil and sacred city, bestow peace to your heart and soul. Land of Buddha and his beliefs aggrandize the serenity and convey the immense knowledge and wisdom to the devotees. According to legends, Buddha preached to his disciples for the first time at this place and embarked the Buddhist Sangha at Sarnath.

On the occasion of Buddha Purnima, ( a new moon day ), a big fair is organised in both places like Sarnath and Varanasi to celebrate the birth of Buddha, Death and Nirvana. Being one of the exceptional pilgrim destinations, thousands of devotees attend this fair or plan their tour, in a way to adore the cultural relevance of this event within the hushed vicinity.

Far from the bustling streets of Varanasi, Sarnath is easily travelled by air, road, and rail, some flights from Kathmandu also plays the primary role of connectivity.

History

An unsullied, beautiful and a part of an ancient city, Sarnath is a small town, whose history began around 528 B.C with the arrival of Gautam Buddha with his first sermon delivered after attaining enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya. Sarnath is one of the four holy Buddhist circuit sanctioned by the Buddha himself for the pilgrimage. The other three sites are Lumbini (birth) now located in Northern Nepal; Bodh Gaya (enlightenment) in Bihar; and Kushinagar (death), in Uttar Pradesh.

Some mystical and divine mentions were also added as the prehistoric facts in the history of Sarnath as the name of this city has been rephrased time after time, unveiling the tales behind them Mrigadava ( means Deer Park) , Migadāya, ( where deer could wander unharmed), Rishipattana and Isipatana (legends say that before the Buddha was born, devas assured the birth of some 500 holy men, whose relics fell onto the ground, and they disappeared supernaturally into the air) . And Lastly, Sarnath comes out from the word Sarangnath which means (Deer God).

Sarnath is also well renowned as the Jain Pilgrimage site, the birthplace of the 11th Tirthankara of Jainism, Shri Shreyansanatha Bhagwan, a 2200 years old ‘ashtakood’ and a temple is also present dedicated to him.

In the history of Sarnath, there are myriad consequential events occurred that has flourished and ruined the city over the period of time. By the 3rd century, the city has proliferated as a major centre for arts, and architecture as well, King Ashoka has contributed in establishing many structures in Sarnath which included the Ashokan Pillar located near the main shrine, the pillar has a four-lion capital, which was later adopted as the national emblem of India. He built thousands of Stupas and Viharas, monasteries for Buddhist followers and monks. The town reached its pinnacle of success during the Gupta reign (4th -6th century A.D.).

Entailing the captivating and exciting Buddhist tale again, when the Chinese traveller Hsuan Tsang visited in the 7th century, the city was boasted with 30 monasteries and 3000 Buddhist monks living in Sarnath.

The city was ransacked by Turkish Muslims and utterly lost its prestige by the end of 12th century. After that, Sarnath remained abandoned entirely until 1836, when some British archaeologists began excavations and restoration of this historic city.