Sarnath

Meaning

In the middle of the wide deer park a vast cylindrical stupa rises, and pilgrims circle it slowly.

Buddhist tradition holds that here the Buddha, after his awakening, sought out his five former companions and unfolded the first teaching — the first turning of the wheel of dharma — and it is counted among the four great places of pilgrimage. With that sermon, tradition says, the teaching and the sangha began. The Dhamek stupa, from around the sixth century, keeps the place, and the lion capital of the Ashokan pillar found here became the state emblem of India. True to its name as a deer park, the wide grounds are still circled slowly by pilgrims.

Voices across time

“Avoiding both extremes, the Tathāgata has awakened to the middle way: it gives vision, gives knowledge, and leads to stillness and peace.”

Roads through this light

Field notes

Location

Sarnath · India · N25.4° · E83.0°

Best time

Early morning and dusk, when light slants across the Dhamek Stupa

Getting there

About thirty to forty minutes by car from Varanasi.

Etiquette

Quiet and the pilgrim paths around the ruins and the stupa are honored.

Sources

• · Encyclopaedia Britannica
• · Archaeological Survey of India

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