Sarnath

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Sarnath, about 10 km from the holy city of Varanasi, is the place where Buddha chose to deliver his first sermon. The celebrated Mantra, 'Buddham Sharanam Gachhami', owes its origin to Sarnath. On the day before his death Buddha included Sarnath along with Lumbini, Bodh Gaya and Kushinagar as the four places he thought to be sacred to his followers. It makes Sarnath one of the most venerated Buddhist places. Besides Buddhism, Sarnath is also connected with Jainism.

There are many Buddhist monuments and edifices in Sarnath. Some of the important Buddhist monuments at Sarnath are the Dhamekha stupa, the Chaukhandi stupa and monasteries and temples of different schools of Buddhism from Japan, China, Thailand, Burma and others. The Indian Buddhist society called Mahabodhi Society maintains a park around the Buddha temple. The Mahabodhi Temple within the park has a tooth relic of the Buddha.

There is also a vast expanse of ancient ruins at Sarnath. Several Buddhist structures were raised at Sarnath between the 3rd century BC and the 11th century AD, and today it presents the most expansive ruins amongst places on the Buddhist trail. The Ashoka pillar of Sarnath is the National emblem of India.

The Dhamekh Stupa is the most remarkable and massive structure at Sarnath. Built partly in stone and partly in brick, the Dhamekh Stupa is 28 meter in diameter at the base and 43.6 meter in height. The stone facing the lower part is decorated with delicate floral carvings of Gupta period. Dhamekh Stupa has a particular significance at Sarnath as it signifies the place where buddha delivered his first sermon. The present name Dhamekh proves that it certainly has some connection with Buddha's Dharma. According to the Archaeologists, the Dhameka might have been the Stupa built by Ashoka to mark the spot where Lord Buddha preached the Dharmachakrapravartana (set in motion the wheel of law) for the first time to his five disciples.