Sarnath as Important Buddhist Pilgrimage Centre

Existence of Sranath is very much associated with the life incident of Lord Buddha and his arch follower Ashoka and perhaps

that gathers enough reason for Buddhist traveler and tourist from across the world to be here to revere the holy essence of Lord Buddha and his teachings.

Located at a distance of around 13 km from another religious place name Varanasi this place is amongst the four major Buddhist pilgrimage centre. Well before we discuss further regarding an importance of this place the first thing we must understand is that the place was the site where Lord Buddha preached his first oration or better say it Sermon.

Surrounded by an eternal presence of Stupas the Sarnath receives numbers of devotees every year as they hurls in to practice pilgrimage and promising travelers comes here to witness the glory of history. 

Etymology

When it comes to its name than it is believed to have been derived from name of Saranganatha which means God of Deer and they believe that the place where deer was born was the place where Lord Buddha gave his first sermon Regarding Dharma Chakra for the first time. 

Historical Facts of Sarnath

To understand the history or rather say to unveil the glory of Sarnath traveler would require walking back to 528 BC when Lord Buddha came to this place for a first time after attaining salvation in Bodhgaya. 

According to accounts of Huein Tsang, Deer Park was established by the Jataka king of Benaras and ever since then the site has been of spiritual importance.

It was during the call of 10^th century many of the plinth of monuments was destroyed by the invasion led by Muhammad Ghazni but later with the administrative line of British, colonials Archaeologist dug out the site and called it significant landmark in terms of cultural prominence and religious heritage.

Tourist Attraction around Sarnath

While coming here make sure to understand the fact that your journey is going to be truly historical and spiritual because of the presence of religious site like Deer Park, Tibetan Temple, The Japanese and Chinese Temple, Chaukhandi and Dhamekh Stupa.  Beside that archaeologist and historians would have their share because they would have an opportunity to reveal the testimonies related with Archaeological and Excavation Area, Archaeological Museum and Ashoka pillar.

Best Time to Visit

Although it is a year round destination and traveler here can come at any time of the year to perform pilgrimage because we understand it is amongst the most sacred site where Lord Buddha gave his first sermon. However we would recommend you to be here during the months of October to March to witness the beauty of atmosphere.

How to Reach

By air- the nearest airport to Sarnath is Varanasi Airport at Babatpur which is located at a distance of around 30 km from here.

By train- the nearest railway station to Sarnath is Varanasi Cantonment railway station which is located at a distance of around 10 km from here and this railway station are very well connected with other railway station of the state.