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{{short description|Historical city in Uttar Pradesh, India}}
{{about|the Indian city|H. P. Lovecraft's fictitious city|The Doom that Came to Sarnath}}
{{Multiple issues|{{Citation style|date=November 2015|details=A lot of cited sources here need at least a '''full title''' for verifiability}}
{{Primary sources|date=September 2019}}}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Sarnath
| settlement_type = Historical City
| image_skyline = Dhamek Stupa, Sarnath.jpg
| image_alt =
| image_caption = The [[Dhamekh Stupa]], Sarnath
| nickname = Isipatana
| map_alt =
| map_caption =
| pushpin_map = India#India Uttar Pradesh
| pushpin_relief =yes
| pushpin_label_position = left
| pushpin_map_alt =
| pushpin_map_caption =
| coordinates = {{coord|25.3811|N|83.0214|E|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{flag|India}}
| subdivision_type1 = State
| subdivision_name1 = Uttar Pradesh
| subdivision_type2 = District
| subdivision_name2 = [[Varanasi district|Varanasi]]
| unit_pref = Metric
| population_density_km2 = auto
| demographics_type1 = Languages
| demographics1_title1 = Official
| demographics1_info1 = Hindi
| timezone1 = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| utc_offset1 = +5:30
| postal_code_type = 
}}
{{BuddhasHolySites}}
{{buddhism}}
'''Sarnath''' (Hindustani pronunciation: [[Help:IPA/Hindi and Urdu|[saːɾnaːtʰ]]]) is a place located 10 kilometres north-east of [[Varanasi]] near the confluence of the [[Ganges River|Ganges]] and the [[Varuna River|Varuna]] rivers in [[Uttar Pradesh]], [[India]]. The Deer Park in Sarnath is where [[Gautama Buddha]] first taught the [[Dharma]], and where the Buddhist [[Sangha (Buddhism)|Sangha]] came into existence through the [[Enlightenment (spiritual)|enlightenment]] of [[Kondanna]] ({{lang-sa|Kauṇḍinya}}).

'''Singhpur''', a village approximately one kilometre away from the site, was the birthplace of [[Shreyansanath]], the Eleventh [[Tirthankara]] of [[Jainism]]. A temple dedicated to him is an important [[Tirtha (Jainism)|pilgrimage site]].

Also referred to as '''Isipatana''', this city is mentioned by the Buddha as one of the four places of [[Buddhist pilgrimage|pilgrimage]] his devout followers should visit.<ref>(D.ii.141)</ref> It was also the site of the Buddha's [[Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta]], which was his first sermon after attaining enlightenment, in which he explained the [[four noble truths]] and the teachings associated with them.

==Origin of names==
Sarnath has been variously known as Mrigadava, Migadāya, Rishipattana and Isipatana throughout its long history. ''Mrigadava'' means "deer-park". "Isipatana" is the name used in the [[Pali Canon]], and means the place where holy men (Pali: ''isi'', Sanskrit: ''rishi'') landed.<ref name=remains>{{cite book|title=Buddhist remains in India|first=Dr. A.|last=Sen|publisher=Maha Bodhi Book Agency|location=Calcutta|year=2008|isbn=978-81-87032-78-6|pages=30–34}}</ref>

The legend says that when the Buddha-to-be was born, some [[Deva (Buddhism)|deva]]s came down to announce it to 500 rishis. Another explanation for the name is that Isipatana was so-called because, sages, on their way through the air (from the Himalayas), alight here or start from here on their aerial flight. Pacceka Buddhas, having spent seven days in contemplation in the Gandhamādana, bathe in the Anotatta Lake and come to the habitations of men through the air, in search of alms. They descend to eartPacceka Buddhas come to Isipatana from Nandamūlaka-pabbhāra.<ref>(MA.ii.1019; PsA.437-8)</ref>

[[Xuanzang]] quotes the Nigrodhamiga Jātaka (J.i.145ff) to account for the origin of the Migadāya. According to him, the Deer Park was a forest given by the king of Benares of the Jātaka, where deer might wander unmolested. The Migadāya was so-called because deer were allowed to roam about there unmolested.

''Sarnath'' derives from the Sanskrit ''Sāranganātha'',<ref>{{cite book|title=The Historical Buddha: The Times, Life, and Teachings of the Founder of Buddhism|first= Hans Wolfgang |last=Schuman|publisher= Motilal Banarsidass|year=2004| page= 67}}</ref> which means "Lord of the Deer", and relates to another old Buddhist story in which the [[Bodhisattva]] is a deer and offers his life to a king instead of the doe the latter is planning to kill. The king is so moved that he creates the park as a sanctuary for deer. The park is active in modern times.

==History==
{{Buddhist_pilgrimage_sites_in_India.svg}}

===Gautama Buddha at Isipatana===
[[File:Gautama Buddha teaching his first sermon in the Deer Park, Sarnath. Wall painting Manali.jpg|thumb|Gautama Buddha teaching his first sermon in the Deer Park, Sarnath. Wall painting [[Manali, Himachal Pradesh|Manali]]]]
Before Gautama (the Buddha-to-be) attained enlightenment, he gave up his austere penances and his friends, the Pañcavaggiya monks.<ref>J.i.68</ref> Seven weeks after his enlightenment under the Bodhi tree in [[Bodh Gaya]], [[Gautama Buddha|Buddha]] left [[Uruvela]] and travelled to Isipatana to rejoin them because, using his spiritual powers, he had seen that his five former companions would be able to understand Dharma quickly. While travelling to Sarnath, Gautama Buddha had no money to pay the ferryman to cross the [[Ganges]], so he crossed it through the air. {{citation needed|date=June 2017}} Later when King [[Bimbisara|Bimbisāra]] heard of this, he abolished the toll for [[ascetic]]s. Gautama Buddha found his five former companions and enlightened them with the teachings of the Dharma. At that time, the [[Sangha (Buddhism)|Sangha]], the community of the enlightened ones, was founded. The sermon, Buddha gave to the five monks, was his first sermon, called the [[Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta]]. It was given on the full-moon day of [[Asalha Puja]].<ref>Vin.i.10f.; on this occasion, 80 kotis of Brahmas and innumerable gods attained the comprehension of the Truth (Mil.30); (130 kotis says Mil.350). The Lal. (528) gives details of the stages of this journey.</ref> Buddha subsequently also spent his first [[vassa|rainy season]] at Sarnath<ref>BuA., p.3</ref> at the [[Mulagandhakuti]]. By then, the Sangha had grown to 60 in number (after [[Yasa]] and his friends had become monks), and so Buddha sent them out in all directions to travel alone and teach the Dharma. All 60 monks were [[Arahant|Arhat]]s.

Several other incidents connected with the Buddha, besides the preaching of the first sermon, are mentioned as having taken place in Isipatana. It was here when one day, at dawn, [[Yasa]] came to the Buddha and became an [[Arahant|Arhat]].<ref>Vin.i.15f</ref> It was at Isipatana, too, that the rule was passed, prohibiting the use of sandals made of talipot leaves.<ref>Vin.i.189</ref> On another occasion when the Buddha was staying at Isipatana, having gone there from [[Rajgir|Rājagaha]], he instituted rules forbidding the use of certain kinds of flesh, including human flesh.<ref>Vin.i.216ff.; the rule regarding human flesh was necessary because Suppiyā made broth out of her own flesh for a sick monk.</ref> Twice, while the Buddha was at Isipatana, [[Mara (demon)|Māra]] visited him but had to go away discomfited.<ref>S.i.105f</ref>

[[File:Gautama Buddha first sermon in Sarnath.jpg|250px|right|thumb|[[Gandhara]] [[Greco-Buddhist]] sculpture of [[Gautama Buddha]] delivering his first sermon in the deer park at Sarnath. He preached the [[Four Noble Truths]], the middle path and the [[Eightfold Path]]. In the statue, he is seated in [[Lotus position|Padmasana]] with his right hand turning the [[Dharmachakra]], resting on a [[Triratna]] symbol, flanked on either side by a deer. He is surrounded by five [[Bhikkhus]] with shaven heads. In the background, [[Vajrapani]] and other attendants, including probable princes, are seen. Statue on display at the [[Prince of Wales museum]].]]

Besides the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta mentioned above, several other suttas were preached by the Buddha while staying at Isipatana, among them

* the Saccavibhanga Sutta,
* the Pañca Sutta (S.iii.66f), most popularly known by the somewhat misleading title the [[Anattalakkhana Sutta]]
* the Rathakāra or Pacetana Sutta (A.i.110f),
* the two Pāsa Suttas (S.i.105f),
* the Samaya Sutta (A.iii.320ff),
* the Katuviya Sutta (A.i.279f.),
* a discourse on the Metteyyapañha of the Parāyana (A.iii.399f), and
* the Dhammadinna Sutta (S.v.406f), preached by the distinguished [[Bhikkhuni]] Dhammadinna to her former husband.

Some of the most eminent members of the Sangha seem to have resided at Isipatana from time to time; among recorded conversations at Isipatana are several between [[Sariputta]] and [[Mahakotthita]],<ref>S.ii.112f;iii.167f;iv.162f; 384ff</ref> and one between Mahākotthita and [[Citta-Hatthisariputta]].<ref>(A.iii.392f)</ref> There is also a mention of a discourse in which several monks staying at Isipatana tried to help [[Channa]] in his difficulties.<ref>S.iii.132f</ref>

According to the Udapāna Jātaka, there was a very ancient well near Isipatana which, in the Buddha's time, was used by the monks living there.

===Isipatana after the Buddha===
According to the [[Mahavamsa]], there was a large community of monks at Isipatana in the second century B.C. for, we are told that at the foundation ceremony of the [[Maha Thupa|Mahā Thūpa]] in [[Anuradhapura|Anurādhapura]], twelve thousand monks were present from Isipatana led by the Elder Dhammasena.<ref>Mhv.xxix.31</ref>

Xuanzang,<ref>[[Samuel Beal|Beal]]: Records of the Western World, ii.45ff</ref> a Chinese [[Bhikkhu|Buddhist monk]], who travelled to [[India]] in the seventh century, found fifteen hundred monks studying the Hīnayāna at the Isipatana.

In the enclosure of the Sanghārāma was a vihāra about 60 m (200 feet) high, strongly built, its roof surmounted by a golden figure of the mango. In the centre of the vihāra was a life-size statue of the Buddha turning the wheel of the Law and to the south-west were the remains of a stone [[stupa]] built by King [[Asoka|Ashoka]]. In front of it was a stone pillar to mark the spot where the Buddha preached his first sermon. Nearby was another stupa on the site where the Pañcavaggiyas spent their time in meditation before the Buddha's arrival, and another where five hundred [[Pacceka Buddha]]s entered [[Nibbana|Nibbāna]]. Close to it was another building where the future [[Maitreya|Buddha Metteyya]] received assurance of his becoming a Buddha.

The Divy. (389-94) mentions Ashoka as intimating to Upagupta, his desire to visit the places connected with the Buddha's activities and to erect stupas there. Thus he visited [[Lumbini|Lumbinī]], [[Bodhimula|Bodhimūla]], Isipatana, Migadāya and [[Kusinagara]]; this is confirmed by Ashoka's lithic records, e.g. Rock Edict, viii.

[[File:Bala_Bodhisattva_with_shaft_and_umbrella.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Sarnath Bala Boddhisattva|Bala Boddhisattva]], an important statue for dating Indian art, was dedicated in "the year 3 of [[Kanishka]]" (circa 123 CE) and was discovered at Sarnath.]]
Buddhism flourished in Sarnath because of kings and wealthy merchants based in [[Varanasi]]. By the third century, Sarnath had become an important centre for the arts, which reached its zenith during the [[Gupta Empire|Gupta]] period (4th to 6th centuries CE). In the 7th century by the time [[Xuanzang]] visited from China, he found 30 monasteries and 3000 monks living at Sarnath.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Top Ten Temple Towns of India|publisher=Mark Age Publication|first=S.C.|last=Karkar|location=Kolkota|isbn=978-81-87952-12-1|year=2009|page=14}}</ref>

Sarnath became a major centre of the [[Early Buddhist schools|Sammatiya]] school of Buddhism, one of the [[early Buddhist schools]]. However, the presence of images of [[Heruka]] and [[Tara (Devi)|Tara]] indicate that [[Vajrayana]] Buddhism was (at a later time) also practised here. Also, images of Brahminist gods as [[Shiva]] and [[Brahma]] were found at the site, and there is still a [[Jain]] temple (at Chandrapuri) located very close to the [[Dhamekh Stupa]].

Kumaradevi, the Gahadvala queen, constructed the last structures at Sarnath. In 1193, her grandson, [[Jaichand of Kannauj]] was defeated by [[Qutb al-Din Aibak]], a general of [[Muhammad Ghori]]. At the end of the 12th century, Sarnath was sacked by Turkish Muslims, and the site was subsequently plundered for building materials.

===Discovery of Isipatana===
Isipatana is identified with the modern Sarnath, 9.7 km (6 mi.) from Varanasi. [[Alexander Cunningham]]<ref>Arch. Reports, i. p. 107</ref> found the Migadāya represented by a fine wood, covering an area of about 800 m (half a mile), extending from the great tomb of [[Dhamek Stupa|Dhamekha]] on the north to the [[Chaukhandi Stupa|Chaukundi]] mound on the south.

===Legendary characteristics of Isipatana===
According to the Buddhist [[atthakatha|commentarial scriptures]], all the [[List of the twenty-eight Buddhas|Buddhas]] preach their first sermon at the Migadāya in Isipatana. It is one of the four [[avijahitatthanani|avijahitatthānāni]] (unchanging spots), the others being the [[bodhi-pallanka]], the spot at the gate of [[Sankassa]], where the Buddha first touched the earth on his return from [[Tavatimsa|Tāvatimsa]], and the site of the bed in the [[Gandhakuti]] in [[Jetavana]]<ref>(BuA.247; DA.ii.424).</ref>

In past ages, Isipatana sometimes retained its own name, as it did in the time of [[Phussa Buddha]], [[Dhammadassī Buddha]] and [[Kassapa Buddha]]. Kassapa was born there. But more often Isipatana was known by different names (for these names see under those of the different Buddhas). Thus in the time of [[Vipassī Buddha]], it was known as Khema-uyyāna. It is the custom for all Buddhas to go through the air to Isipatana to preach their first sermon. Gautama Buddha, however, walked all the way, eighteen leagues, because he knew that by so doing he would meet [[Upaka]], the [[Ajivaka]], to whom he could be of service.<ref>DA.ii.471)</ref>

==Jainism==
{{Main|Sarnath Jain Tirth}}
[[File:Sridigamber_Jain_Temple,_Singhpuri,_Sarnath,_Varanasi.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Shri Digambar Jain Temple, Singhpuri, Sarnath, Varanasi]]
Sarnath is the birthplace of the 11th Tirthankara Shri [[Shreyansanatha]] Bhagwan. It is the place where 4 of the 5 [[Panch Kalyanaka|kalyanak]] (auspicious life events) of Shri Shreyansanatha Bhagwan took place.

;Shri Digambar Jain Shreyansnath Mandir, Singhpuri, Sarnath

It is the place of 4 ''kalyanak'' of Shri Shreyansnath Bhagwan. A huge ''ashtakod'' stoop (octagonal pillar), 31.4 m (103 feet) in height is still present showing its historical establishment. It is considered to be '''2200 years''' old. The main deity of this temple is a blue-coloured idol of Shri Shreyansnath Bhagwan, 75  cm in height, in [[Lotus position|Padmāsana]]. The artistic work of this temple is unmatched.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}

==Current features of Isipatana==
[[File:Emblem of the Supreme Court of India.svg|thumb|Emblem of the Supreme Court of India: [[Lion Capital of Ashoka|Lion Capital]] with Dharma-chakra]]
The major excavated ruins are listed below, generally in north-to-south and west-to-east order.
[[File:Ancient Buddhist monasteries near Dhamekh Stupa Monument Site, Sarnath.jpg|right|thumb|Ancient Buddhist monasteries near [[Dhamekh Stupa]] Monument Site, Sarnath. The ruins of the original main temple are to the left.]]
[[File:Sarnath capital.jpg|thumb|[[Ashoka pillar]] capital of Sarnath.]]
Most of the ancient buildings and structures at Sarnath were damaged or destroyed by the Turks. However, amongst the ruins can be distinguished:
* The '''Dharma Chakra Jina Vihar''' built by [[Govindachandra (Gahadavala dynasty)#Family|Kumaradevi]], a wife of Gahadavala [[Govindachandra (Gahadavala dynasty)|Govindachandra]] (c. 1114–1155 CE). An inscription mentions the building of this massive vihara. It mentions that Govindachandra had protected Varanasi from the Turushkas. This was the last construction at Sarnath before it was devastated.<ref>The word Jina in the name of this vihara means Buddha, not a Jain Tirthankara.</ref>
* The '''[[Ashoka Pillar]]''' erected here, originally surmounted by the "[[Lion Capital of Ashoka]]" (presently on display at the [[Sarnath Museum]]), was broken during Turk invasions but the base still stands at the original location. The Lion Capital now symbolizes the modern state of India. The Lion Capital served as the base of a large 32-spoke stone dharma-chakra, which was found broken into many pieces.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=-lswCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA177&dq=sarnath+dharma+chakra+was+broken+into+pieces&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjk-aWcj_fiAhVSIKwKHaHHAtwQ6AEINTAC#v=onepage&q=sarnath%20dharma%20chakra%20was%20broken%20into%20pieces&f=false Reverence, Resistance and Politics of Seeing the Indian National Flag, Sadan Jha, Cambridge University Press, 2016, p.117, footnote 59]</ref> The seal of the [[Supreme court of India]] displays the Dharma Chakra as it must have originally appeared.<ref>[https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/32-spokes-of-wisdom/296362 32 Spokes Of Wisdom Our national symbol, the Ashoka pillar, has an upper chakra missing. An MP pointed it out to Nehru, but was ignored, DOLA MITRA, Outlook India, 18 January 2016]</ref>
* The ruins of the '''[[Mulagandhakuti vihara]]''' mark the place where the Buddha spent his first rainy season. This was the main temple marked by the presence of the Ashoka Pillar at the front. The famous Sarnath Buddha in [[Mudra#Dharmachakra Mudrā|dharmachakra pravartana mudra]] was found in the vicinity.
* The '''Dharmarajika Stupa''' is one of the few [[Ashoka|pre-Ashokan]] stupas remaining, although only the foundations remain. The rest of the Dharmarajika Stupa was removed to Varanasi to be used as building materials in the 18th century. At that time, relics (bone fragments) in a casket, were found in the Dharmarajika Stupa. These relics were subsequently thrown in the Ganges river, but the casket is preserved.
* The '''[[Dhamek Stupa]]'''; it is an impressive structure, 39 m (128 feet) high and 28 m (93 feet) in diameter.
* The '''[[Chaukhandi Stupa]]''' commemorates the spot where the Buddha met his first disciples, dating back to the fifth century or earlier and later enhanced by the addition of an octagonal tower of [[Islam]]ic origin. In recent years it is undergoing restoration.
* '''Digambar Jain Mandir''': while the current structure is from the 19th century, it occupies an ancient spot.
* The modern '''Mulagandhakuti Vihara''' is a temple built in the 1930s by the [[Mahabodhi Society]], with beautiful wall paintings with a replica of the famous Sarnath Buddha in [[Dharmachakra Pravartana Buddha at Sarnath|dharmachakra pravartana mudra]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Nakamura|first=Hajime|author-link=Hajime Nakamura|title=Gotama Buddha|publisher=Kosei|pages=267|year=2000|isbn=4-333-01893-5}}</ref> Behind it is the Deer Park (where deer are still to be seen).
* The '''[[Sarnath Museum|Sarnath Archeological Museum]]''' houses the famous Ashokan [[Lion Capital of Ashoka|lion capital]], which miraculously survived its 45-foot drop to the ground (from the top of the Ashokan Pillar), and became the [[National Emblem of India]] and national symbol on the [[Indian flag]]. The museum also houses [[Buddha Preaching his First Sermon (Sarnath)|a famous and refined sculpture]] of the Buddha in [[Dharmachakra Pravartana Buddha at Sarnath|Dharmachakra-posture]].
* There is also a Bodhi tree planted by [[Anagarika Dharmapala]] which has grown from a cutting of the [[Bodhi Tree]] at [[Bodh Gaya]].
For Buddhists, Sarnath (or Isipatana) is one of four pilgrimage sites designated by Gautama Buddha, the other three being [[Kushinagar]], Bodh Gaya, and [[Lumbini]].

==Modern-day pilgrimage==

Sarnath has been developed as a place of pilgrimage, both for Buddhists from India and abroad. A number of countries in which Buddhism is a major (or the dominant) religion, such as Thailand, Japan, Tibet, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar, have established temples and monasteries in Sarnath in the style that is typical for the respective country. Thus, pilgrims and visitors have the opportunity to experience an overview of Buddhist architecture from various cultures. There is a 24-m-tall (80-foot) statue of Buddha built over 14 years (1997-2011) by joint Indo-Thai efforts.<ref>[https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/varanasi/Sarnath-gets-countrys-tallest-statue-of-Lord-Buddha/articleshow/7720391.cms Sarnath gets country's tallest statue of Buddha, March 16, 2011]</ref> It is said to be inspired by the [[Buddhas of Bamiyan]].<ref>[https://tricycle.org/trikedaily/its-not-quite-bamiyan/ It’s not quite Bamiyan but…, Tricycle, NOV 02, 2009]</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+ style="text-align: left;"| Tourist arrival in Sarnath<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uptourism.gov.in/site/writereaddata/siteContent/Tourist%20Arrival%202013%20to%202017.pdf|title=ANNUAL TOURIST VISITS STATISTICS- 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017|publisher=UP Tourism}}</ref>

|-
! scope="col" | Year !! scope="col" | International !! scope="col" | Domestic !! scope="col" | Total
|-
! scope="row" | 2013
| 362,113 || 838,566 || 1,200,679
|-
! scope="row" | 2014
| 374,268 || 899,457 || 1,273,725
|-
! scope="row" | 2015
| 388,102 || 924,552 || 1,312,654
|-
! scope="row" | 2016
| 409,242 || 957,320 || 1,366,562
|-
! scope="row" | 2017
| 430,682 || 1,024,589 || 1,455,271
|}

==In English literature==
{{wikisource|Letitia Elizabeth Landon (L. E. L.) in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1833/Sarnat|' Sarnat, a Bodh Monument'<br />a poem by L. E. L.}}
The plate on which [[Letitia Elizabeth Landon]]'s poem ''[[wikisource: Letitia Elizabeth Landon (L. E. L.) in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1833/Sarnat|Sarnat, a Bodh Monument]]'' is based shows its then run-down condition, and her words, comparing the religions of the world, pick up on the apparent weakness of Buddhism in the country of its origin at that time (1832).

Sarnath is one of the locations of [[Rudyard Kipling|Rudyard Kipling's]] ''[[Kim (novel)|Kim]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kipling |first1=Rudyard |title=Kim |date=1901 |publisher=MacMillan & Co |location=London |isbn=9781974908677 |page=266}}</ref> Teshoo Lama stays at the Temple of the [[Tirthankara|Tirthankhars]] in Sarnath when not on his pilgrimages. Kim meets him there after he leaves Saint Xavier's school.

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="120">
File:Dharmarajika Stupa.JPG|Dharmarajika Stupa from the pre-Ashokan Era
File:Brahmi pillar inscription in Sarnath.jpg|[[Ashoka]]'s [[Brāhmī script|Brahmi]] inscription on the main pillar
File:1 Sarnath Temple Buddhism Le Mulagandhakuti Vihāra Sârnâth Varanasi India 2013.jpg|Buddha image at Sarnath, a replica of the excavated [[Dharmachakra Pravartana Buddha at Sarnath]]
File:India-5130 - Flickr - archer10 (Dennis).jpg|Mulagandhakuti fresco by Kosetsu Nosu
File:Interior of the Jain Temple dedicated to Shreyansanath, the eleventh Jain Tirthankar, Sarnath.jpg|Interior of Sri Digamber Jain Shreyansnath Mandir
File:Sarnath tibetan temple 1.jpg|Temple of the Tibetan community in Sarnath
File:A Buddhist temple at Sarnath.jpg|Mulagandhakuti Vihara, Mahabodhi Society Buddhist temple at Sarnath
File:Mauryan head from Sarnath.jpg|Head of West Asian foreigner, Sarnath.<ref>Page 122: About the [[Masarh lion]]: "This particular example of a foreign model gets added support from the male heads of foreigners from Patna city and Sarnath since they also prove beyond doubt that a section of the elite in the Gangetic Basin was of foreign origin. However, as noted earlier, this is an example of the late Mauryan period since this is not the type adopted in any Ashoka pillar. We are, therefore, visualizing a historical situation in India in which the West Asian influence on Indian art was felt more in the late Mauryan than in the early Mauryan period. The term West Asia in this context stands for Iran and Afghanistan, where the Sakas and Pahlavas had their base-camps for eastward movement. The prelude to future inroads of the Indo-Bactrians in India had after all started in the second century B.C."... in {{cite book |last1=Gupta |first1=Swarajya Prakash |author-link=Swaraj Prakash Gupta|title=The Roots of Indian Art: A Detailed Study of the Formative Period of Indian Art and Architecture, Third and Second Centuries B.C., Mauryan and Late Mauryan |year=1980 |publisher=B.R. Publishing Corporation |isbn=978-0-391-02172-3 |pages=88, 122 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0lDqAAAAMAAJ |language=en}}.</ref>
File:Sarnath Mauryan capital.jpg|Sarnath Mauryan capital.
File:Sarnath capital with elephant.jpg|Sarnath capital with an elephant.
File:Sarnath - Plan of Excavations.jpg|Sarnath - Plan of Excavations and constructions.
File:Thai Temple Sarnath Varanasi.jpg|View of Lord Buddha at Thai Temple Sarnath Varanasi.
File:Sarnath Buddha statue inside a votive stupa.jpg|Buddha statue inside a votive stupa, Sarnath
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Adi Badri (Haryana)]]
*[[Pillars of Ashoka]]
*[[Kanaganahalli]] and [[Sannati]] in [[North Karnataka]]
{{Portal bar|Religion}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|30em}}

== References ==
* Rai Bahadur Daya Ram Sahni: ''Guide to the Buddhist Ruins of Sarnath with a Plan of Excavations and Five Photographic Plates''. [[Archaeological Survey of India]], Delhi 1922
** Reprint: Antiquarian Book House, Delhi/Varanasi, 1982-1983
* Satyarth Nayak: [[The Emperor's Riddles]] 2014

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
{{commons category|Sarnath}}
*{{Wikivoyage-inline}}
{{ppn|i_/isipatana.htm|Isipatana}}
{{RBK|33|Sarnath}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080324193656/http://www.vishwakala.org/uniportal/info/index.asp Sarnath India Art Architecture Archcelogy History Culture Study Project]
*[https://templeknowledge.com/about-sarnath-temple/ Sarnath Temple]

{{Buddhism topics}}
{{Varanasi}}
{{Archaeological sites in India}}
{{Edicts of Ashoka}}

[[Category:Sarnath| ]]
[[Category:Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India]]
[[Category:Varanasi district]]
[[Category:Gautama Buddha]]
[[Category:Early Buddhism]]
[[Category:Hindu pilgrimage sites in India]]
[[Category:Hindu holy cities]]
[[Category:Former populated places in India]]
[[Category:Census towns in Varanasi district]]
[[Category:Buddhist sites in Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:2nd-century BC Jain temples]]
[[Category:Jain temples in Uttar Pradesh]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:19, 23 November 2023
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	*[https://templeknowledge.com/about-sarnath-temple/ Sarnath Temple]		*[https://templeknowledge.com/about-sarnath-temple/ Sarnath Temple]

			{{Buddhist sites in Uttar Pradesh}}
	{{Sarnath Museum}}		{{Sarnath Museum}}
	{{Archaeological sites in India}}		{{Archaeological sites in India}}

Sarnath - Revision history

Kamal Guha: Uttar Pradesh Buddhist sites added

WikiDwarfBOT: Cleanup:

ImportMaster: robot: Creating new article from Special:WantedPages