Sarnath Dhamek Stupa

Sarnath, 13 km from Varanasi, is one of the four most sacred sites in Buddhism — the place where Gautama Buddha delivered his first sermon (the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta) to his five companions after attaining enlightenment at Bodh Gaya. The site preserves remains of the original 3rd-century BCE Mauryan complex built by Emperor Ashoka, plus successive additions through the Gupta period. The Dhamek Stupa, the principal monument, is a 43.6-metre cylindrical brick-and-stone structure built around 500 CE on an Ashokan core; the geometric carvings on its base are some of the earliest surviving examples of Gupta-period stone work. The Ashoka Pillar nearby is broken but its capital — four addorsed lions atop a Dharmachakra — was adopted as the State Emblem of India in 1950 (the original is in the Sarnath Archaeological Museum). The Mulagandha Kuti Vihara, built in 1931 by the Maha Bodhi Society, holds relics of the Buddha and frescoes by Japanese artist Kosetsu Nosu.