Sarnath

Sarnath is the deer park outside Varanasi where the Buddha gave his first sermon after attaining enlightenment, making it one of the four most sacred Buddhist pilgrimage sites in the world. The Dhamek Stupa, a cylindrical stone tower 28 metres in diameter and 43 metres tall dating from the Gupta period, marks the spot of that first discourse. The Sarnath Archaeological Museum houses the Lion Capital of Ashoka — adopted as India's national emblem — along with exceptional Gupta-period Buddha sculptures.