India GOSarnath
The First Sermon
The deer park where the Buddha gave his first sermon: the Dhamek stupa, monastery ruins, and the museum with Ashoka's lion capital. A half-day of quiet, 10 km from the ghats.
Here the Buddha preached his first sermon to five disciples, and the wheel of the teaching turned. The Dhamek stupa rises over the deer park, monasteries of every Buddhist nation stand around it, and the museum keeps Ashoka's lion capital, now India's national emblem. After the ghats' density, Sarnath is a breath of silence: the half-day that balances Varanasi.
Who it suits
the Buddha's first sermon the Ashoka capital museum quiet after the ghats
Staying here
A few monastery guesthouses; most return to the river.
In the evening
Park and museum are a daytime story; go in the morning.
Getting there
Rickshaw or taxi · 30–40 min from the ghats
What to see
Other areas of Varanasi
In the app: the city's areas on the map, the places inside and a route.
Open in India GO