Sārnāth, the Place of Buddha's First Sermon

        
From Varanasi we catch a bus or a motor ricksha for a 10 kilometer ride to Sarnath. This is the place where Buddha, after having attained enlightenment in Bodhgaya, gave his first sermon about reaching nirvana through the middle way. Lord Buddha stayed for one rainy season here, but never made a permanent residence at Sarnath. Yet Sarnath became an important Buddhist center by the end of the fourth century B.C. when Ashoka ruled the area. It greatly flourished between the third and seventh centuries and was said to have as many as 1500 priests. During the 10^th century the place declined and by the time the Muslims invaded in the 11^th and again in the 12^th centuries, it was practically destroyed.

        
As we approach Sarnath, we first see the Chaukhandi Stupa on the left which is the remains of an ancient stupa from the second or third century A.D. On our right is the Archeological Museum that has a nice collection of ancient relics from the area. Across the road from the museum is a Jain temple built in 1824 which contains images of Shreanshnath, the 11^th Tirthankara of the Jains. Behind the Jain temple are the excavations of the old temples and monasteries. This includes the main shrine, Kumara Devi’s temple, and other things like the Ashoka Pillar, built around 250 B.C., which traditionally marks the site of Buddha’s first sermon.

 

Near the Jain temple is the massive Dhamekh Stupa, built in the fifth century A.D. and stands 98 feet high.

East of this stupa is the Mulgandha Kuti-Vihar, a modern replica of the Mahabodhi temple in Bodhgaya built by the Mahabodhi Society in 1932. Inside are very colorful murals of Buddha’ life, and a beautiful image of Buddha on the altar.

   Next to the temple is a life size diorama exhibit of Buddha giving his first sermon to his first disciples under a Bo tree. This tree is a transplant of the tree in Sri Lanka which is a descendent of the original Bo tree that Buddha sat under when he became enlightened. Not far from here is the Chinese temple which contains a beautiful white marble Buddha. There is also a Tibetan Monastery at Sarnath. Everything at Sarnath can be seen in a few hours.

Sārnāth 

An important Indian Buddhist centre located some 6 miles north of present-day Vārāṇasī. It is famed as the location of the Deer Park, the site of the first discourse taught by the Buddha after his enlightenment (bodhi). Visited again by the Buddha on an number of occasions later in his life, Sārnāth became an important Buddhist centre until the 12th century ce. Modern excavations have revealed extensive remains of vihāras and stūpas, including the great Dhamekh and Dharmarājika Stūpas, as well as numerous statues of the Buddha.

A Dictionary of Buddhism, Oxford University Press, 2003, 2004 (which is available in electronic version from answer.com)