Nearest Airport : Varanasi or Banaras

Nearest Bus Station : Varanasi or Banaras

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Construction History : Emperor Ashoka Ashoka

Restoration History :

Historical Importance of Monument : Buddha gave his first sermon after achieving enlightenment at Sarnath. Samrat Ashoka placed relics at sarnath to build a chaitya. The first five disciples were Kaundinya, Bashpa, Bhadrika, Mahanaman and Ashvajit. The name Rishipatna orginates from story that mentions that bodies of 500 Pratyeka Buddhas or Rishis i.e. Sages fell after their attainment of nirvana or Salvation. Jataka katha mentions one of previous births of Buddha as head of a deer herd appeared before the Benaras king. This stirred the king by Buddha’s sacrifice and the king made the place a free roaming ground for deers, hence the neame mrigadava or deerpark. in 1798 when Mr. Duncan , the resident of Benaras gave an account of a casket of green marble inside a stone box exposed by the workmen of Jagat Singh, Dewan of Raja Chet Singh of Benaras while dismantling the Dharmaralika stupa in order to procure building materials. In search of relics Sir Alexander Cunnigham created a vertical channel across the center of stupa, till the foundation i.e a depth of about 91.4 cms. He unearthed a slab with the inscription “ ye dharma hetupra-bhava“. It was written in the brahmi script from 6th” — 7th century AD. Sir Alexander Cunnigham also traced bricks within stupa from mauryan era. The colossal image of Bodhisattva imported form Mathura in the 3rd regnal year of Kanishka is now exhibited in the museum. During the Gupta period 4th-6th century AD, Sarnath became a place of structural and artistic movements. Mulgandhakuti was created during this period. Harshavardhan during 606-47 AD might have commenced restorations of the former edifice at Sarnath. Nearby museum contains relics and artifacts from 3rd century BC to 12th century AD excated at sarnath. The Lion Capital of the Mauryan pilla, 2.31 metersin height is also placed in museum. The capital contains an inverted lotus, circular abacus and the crowning quadripartite semi-lions on top. The most portion was crowned with a dharmachakra with thirty-two spokes since broken. The abacus is decorated with the figures of a lion, an elephant, a bull and horse each separated by a smaller wheel or dharmachakra consisting twenty-four spokes. The same animals have been depicted on pillar at Anuradhapur (Srilanka). The four crowning lion seated back and four animals in relief. This lion capital has become The Dhamekh stupa is one of the best preserved and impressive structure in Sarnath. Stupa is solid cylindrical in shape and made up of bricks and stone. Measures around of 43.6 meters in height and about 28 meters in diameter. The present diameter of this is 28.5 meters at the base and 33.35 meters in height. Its total height is 42.60 meters including the foundation. The structure consists of a circular stone drum upto the elevation of 11.20 meters from the ground above which climbs the cylindrical mass of brick work about 6 meters above the base. Eight niches run in eight directions which might have comprised images of Lord Buddha. Below them is a stones with swastika, leaf and floral designs blended with birds and human shapes. Inscription dated 1026 AD was archived from the site. Xuanzang / Fa-Hien / Hiuen-Tsang the Chinese pilgrim, at the time of Chandragupta ll (376-414 AD) , recorded that there were 1500 buddhist priests or bhikkhus at Sarnath complex with main stupa about 300 feet high. He also mentioned about four stupas and two monasteries.