Sarnath

Sarnath is a town and archaeological site in the Varanasi district of Uttar Pradesh, India, located about 10 kilometres north-east of the city of Varanasi. It is one of the four principal pilgrimage sites of Buddhism, marking the place where Gautama Buddha is traditionally believed to have delivered his first sermon, the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, after attaining enlightenment at Bodh Gaya.

Key facts

Etymology and historical names

The name Sarnath is generally considered a contraction of Saranganatha, "Lord of the Deer", referring to a legend in the Buddhist Jataka tales. In Buddhist literature the site is known by several names, including Isipatana (Pali) or Rishipattana (Sanskrit), meaning "the place where holy men landed", and Mrigadava, meaning "deer park".

Religious significance

Sarnath is sacred primarily to Buddhists, but it also has associations with Jainism. According to Buddhist tradition, after attaining enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, the Buddha travelled to the Deer Park at Sarnath where he delivered his first sermon to the five ascetics (the pancavargika), thereby setting in motion the Wheel of Dharma (Dharmachakra Pravartana). This event is considered the founding moment of the Buddhist sangha. The site is also revered as the place where the Buddha is said to have spent his first rainy season retreat.

For Jains, Sarnath (called Singhpur in Jain tradition) is associated with Shreyansanatha, the eleventh Tirthankara, who is believed to have been born nearby.

History

Ancient period

Sarnath rose to prominence as a centre of Buddhist learning and monastic activity from the 3rd century BCE. The Mauryan emperor Ashoka visited Sarnath and erected a polished sandstone pillar there, the capital of which—the four-lion Lion Capital of Ashoka—was later adopted as the State Emblem of India. Ashoka also commissioned the construction of stupas and a monastery at the site.

Gupta and post-Gupta period

Under the Gupta dynasty (4th–6th centuries CE), Sarnath flourished as one of the foremost centres of Buddhist art and scholarship. Many of the finest examples of the Sarnath school of sculpture, including the celebrated seated Buddha image depicting the first sermon, were produced during this period. The Chinese pilgrims Faxian (early 5th century) and Xuanzang (7th century) visited Sarnath and recorded detailed descriptions of its monasteries, stupas, and resident monks.

Decline

Sarnath was extensively damaged in the late 12th century during the Ghurid invasions led by Qutb ud-Din Aibak and his commanders, after which Buddhist activity declined sharply and the site was largely abandoned.

Modern rediscovery

The ruins of Sarnath came to renewed attention in 1798, when Jagat Singh, a minister of the Raja of Banaras, dismantled parts of the Dharmarajika Stupa for building material; this led to the discovery of a relic casket. Systematic archaeological work was undertaken from the 19th century onwards by Alexander Cunningham of the Archaeological Survey of India and later by F. O. Oertel, whose excavations of 1904–05 uncovered the Lion Capital of Ashoka. The site was further excavated by John Marshall and Daya Ram Sahni.

The revival of Sarnath as a living Buddhist centre owes much to Anagarika Dharmapala, the Sri Lankan Buddhist reformer, who founded the Maha Bodhi Society and oversaw the construction of the Mulagandhakuti Vihara, consecrated in 1931.

Major monuments

• Dhamek Stupa – A massive cylindrical brick and stone stupa, originally built by Ashoka and enlarged in the Gupta period, traditionally believed to mark the spot of the Buddha's first sermon.
• Chaukhandi Stupa – A terraced brick stupa, later crowned with an octagonal Mughal-era tower built in the 16th century to commemorate a visit by Humayun.
• Ashoka Pillar – The remains of the polished sandstone column erected by Ashoka, bearing one of his edicts; the lion capital is preserved in the site museum.
• Dharmarajika Stupa – Foundations of an ancient stupa originally built by Ashoka.
• Mulagandhakuti Vihara – A modern temple built by the Maha Bodhi Society, decorated with frescoes by the Japanese artist Kosetsu Nosu.
• Sarnath Archaeological Museum – Established in 1910, the oldest site museum of the Archaeological Survey of India, housing the Lion Capital of Ashoka and a notable collection of Gupta-period Buddhist sculpture.

Sarnath school of art

The Sarnath school of sculpture, which flourished in the 5th and 6th centuries CE during the Gupta period, is renowned for its refined, transparent draperies and serene treatment of the Buddha image. The standing and seated Buddhas produced at Sarnath influenced Buddhist iconography across South and South-East Asia.

Geography and access

Sarnath lies on the Gangetic plain at an elevation of about 80 metres. It is connected by road to Varanasi, and the nearest railway station is Sarnath railway station on the Varanasi–Gorakhpur line, while Varanasi Junction is the principal mainline station. The Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport at Babatpur serves the region.

Modern institutions

Sarnath hosts several Buddhist temples and monasteries built by the Buddhist communities of Sri Lanka, Thailand, China, Japan, Tibet, Myanmar and other countries. The Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies (now Central University of Tibetan Studies), established in 1967, is a deemed university located at Sarnath that offers studies in Tibetan and Buddhist learning.

National emblem

The Lion Capital of Ashoka excavated at Sarnath was adopted as the State Emblem of India on 26 January 1950, and the Dharmachakra from the same capital appears at the centre of the national flag of India.

Related topics

• Varanasi
• Gautama Buddha
• Bodh Gaya
• Kushinagar
• Lumbini
• Lion Capital of Ashoka
• Ashoka
• Maha Bodhi Society
• Anagarika Dharmapala
• Buddhism in India
• Archaeological Survey of India
• Central University of Tibetan Studies

References

• Archaeological Survey of India – Sarnath site documentation.
• Sarnath Archaeological Museum guidebooks, ASI.
• Cunningham, A., Archaeological Survey of India Reports.
• Wikidata: Q324394.