Tour to Sarnath: Gem among Religious Tours to India

Sarnath, a small Buddhist place in the wonder state of Uttar Pradesh, came into limelight with a UNESCO project a few days back. The project was funded by Japan and it declared Sarnath as ‘the biggest Buddhist settlement in all of Central India’. Quite fascinating!! Every news channel & newspaper was full of stuff like ‘eight structures identified’, ‘14 more monasteries revealed’, ‘23 stupas found’ etc. Luckily, two friends of mine organized a short trip to Sarnath on the occasion of Buddha Purnima (last week of April). The journey from Delhi to Varanasi was smooth and relaxing, but reaching Sarnath from Varanasi (only 10 km) proved to be really hectic and tiring because of a big fair to celebrate the day of the Buddha's birth, nirvana and death.

Tour to Sarnath

Next morning, we hired a Toyota Qualis and started our exploration. Our first halt was Dhamekh Stupa, the largest in the region. Built around 500 AD, this remarkable structure is cylindrical in shape with 28 m diameter and 43.6 m height. While listening to a guide who was leading a Spanish group, we came to know that it marks the spot where Lord Buddha proclaimed his faith in front of his first five followers. All three of us were surprised to see the architectural beauty of the Stupa, which lays in its fine floral carvings of Gupta origin and Buddhist inscriptions dating back to 6^th century.

While having lunch at a restaurant, the driver told us that Emperor Ashoka visited Sarnath around 234 BC and spread Lord Buddha's message of love and compassion throughout his vast empire. He also constructed a stupa here, named Chaukhandi Stupa. We visited the site, which is a lofty mound of brick work. Its square edifice is surrounded by an octagonal tower.

In the evening, we also paid short visits to the Archaeological Museum and Chinese & Tibetan Temples. The best part with the Archeological Museum is that it houses the superb Lion capital of the Ashoka Pillar, which has been adopted as the National Emblem of India. Most of the structures were built between the 3^rd century BC and the 11^th century AD. Still Sarnath boasts of having the most expansive ruins among the places related to Lord Buddha.