Sarnath

Sarnath
Historical Town
View of Sarnath, looking from the ancient Mulagandha Kuty Vihara towards the Dhamek Stupa
Sarnath Show map of India Sarnath Show map of Uttar Pradesh
Coordinates: 25°22′41″N 83°01′30″E / 25.3780°N 83.0251°E / 25.3780; 83.0251
Country	India
State	Uttar Pradesh
District	Varanasi
Languages
• Local	Bhojpuri
Time zone	UTC+5:30

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Sarnath (also known as Deer Park,^[1][2][3] Sarangnath, Isipatana Deer Park, Rishipattana, Migadaya, or Mrigadava)^[4][5] is a town northeast of Varanasi, in Uttar Pradesh, India. As the Lalitavistara sutra states, the Gautama Buddha chose "Deer Park by the Hill of the Fallen Sages, outside of Varanasi"^[1] for his first teaching after he attained enlightenment ^[1] in Bodh Gaya. The teaching is entitled Dhammacakkappavattana sutra.^[6] Sarnath is one of the eight most important pilgrimage sites for Buddhists, and has been nominated to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.^[7]

Sarnath is where Gautama Buddha's sangha first convened, when he gave the first teaching to the Buddha's original five disciples Kaundinya, Assaji, Bhaddiya, Vappa and Mahanama,^[8] known as The First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma.^[1] This teaching occurred circa 528 BCE when the Buddha was approximately 35 years of age.

The buddha before Gautama Buddha is Kassapa Buddha, who was born in Sarnath to where he returned and joined his sangha of men and women in order to give his first teaching.^[5]

Several sources state that the name Sarnath is derived from Saranganath that translates as, “Lord of the Deer”. According to Buddhist history, during the local king's hunting trip, a male deer (buck) offered to sacrifice himself to save the life of a female deer (doe) that the king was aiming to kill. Impressed, the king then declared his park would thereafter be a deer sanctuary.^[9][10]

According to the Mahaparinibbana Sutta that is Sutra 16 of the Digha Nikaya, the Buddha mentioned Sarnath as one of the four Buddhist pilgrimage sites his devout followers should visit and look upon with feelings of reverence. The other three sites are Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha; Bodh Gaya, where Buddha achieved enlightenment; and, Kushinagar, where the Buddha attained parinirvana.^[11][12]

Sarnath is located eight kilometres (five miles) northeast of Varanasi near the confluence of the Ganges and the Varuna rivers.