Sarnath

Location- The famous Sarnath is located just 13 kms away from the city of Varanasi; it is north east in direction to the Varanasi, the two rivers Varuna and Ganges meet near the Sarnath.

Why sarnath is important: - Sarnath is a very important religious site according to Buddhism and the jain religion. Sarnath is an important site of Varanasi Tour Packages. The eleventh Tirthankar of Jain religion was born near sarnath. Buddha after enlightenment under the Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya arrived at sarnath and gave the first sermon of Dharmachakra Pravattna sutra to his chosen followers at sarnath.

What is the meaning of sarnath:- In the old texts Sarnath is known to be originating from a Jataka tale in which a Bodhi Satva is said to be born as a deer who offered his life to a king for forsaking his hunting prey. The king is so amazed and fascinated that he reserves the area as a deer park. In Sanskrit the “Saranganath” refers to the same Bodhi satva who has been called the “lord of the deer” . the “sarangnath” in due course of time became Sarnath. In Buddhist texts sarnath has also been called Isipatna.

When was the first sermon delivered by lord Buddha: - Lord Buddha after getting enlighted traveled to Isipatna and called his beloved and trusted followers, the first sermon was delivered on the full moon day of the month of Asadh which falls in the month of July.

As time went on the number of disciples grew and soon were numbering 60, these were ordered by the Lord Buddha to travel to respective different directions and spread the Dharma. The first sermon preached by Lord Buddha at Sarnath included the four noble truths and various other vital truths associated. Sarnath or the Isipatna was the auspicious venue where many other sermons or the sutas were preached by the lord Buddha. In due course of time Sarnath became a very important religious site for the Buddhist religion. Even today the Buddhist religious tourist never forgets to visit Sarnath the holy land of the Buddha.

Sarnath after the lord Buddha slowly developed as a great center of Buddhist teaching and research. There was a large Vihara at Sarnath where thousands scholars studied the Buddhist teachings. Emperor Ashoka after accepting Buddhism made a large stupa at sarnath to commemorate the first sermon of Lord Buddha. It is said that there were 30 monasteries as recorded by a Chinese traveler in the 7th century these 30 monasteries had thousands of Buddhist scholar.

Jain religion at Sarnath:- Sarnath is also very important religious destination for the jain community. The 11th Tirthankara Shri Shreyanasanatha Bhagwan was born at sarnath. This is known to be the first Kalyanak (Life events) of the teerthankara. It is said four out of five important life events (according to jain religion) Kalyankas happened at sarnath. These Kalyankas are actually the important life events of a Teerthankar starting from the Teerthankara occupying the womb of his mother. A temple stands in Sarnath commemorating the birth of the teerthankara at the sarnath there is also a jain stupa (103) feet in height. This stupa was an octagonal structure and is supposed to be around 2200 years old.

The striking aspect of the architecture is the effigy of the teerthankara crafted in blue colour it is a work of art worth admiration.

Best time to visit Sarnath: - The best climate to visit Sarnath off course is the winter season as the summers are pretty harsh in this area. During monsoon the incessant rains make the sightseeing difficult.