Varanasi Saranath

Sammuka Sthupa

බරණැස ඉසිපතනය

Saranatha ( Migadāya, Rishipattana, Isipatana), the deer park where Gautama Buddha first taught the Dharma (Dhammachkkapawattane sutta) and where the Buddhist Sangha came into existence through the arahath of sage Kondanna. Sarnath is located 13 kilometres north-east of Varanasi, in Uttar Pradesh, India.
Migadaya means "deer-park".

Isipatana is the name used in Pali and means the place where holy men (Rishi) landed.

Saranath means "Lord of the Deer" and relates to another old Buddhist story in which the Bodhisattva is a deer and offers his life to a king instead of the doe the latter is planning to kill. The king is so moved that he creates the park as a sanctuary for deer. The park is still today with deer are to be seen.

So today all these names are used to this place. With the early morning mist, it was an amazing place.Most of the ancient buildings and structures at Sarnath were damaged or destroyed by the Turks. However, amongst the ruins can be distinguished:

The Dhammika Stupa; it is an impressive 128 feet high and 93 feet in diameter.The Dharmarajika Stupa is one of the few pre-Ashokan stupas remaining, although only the foundations remain. The rest of the Dharmarajika Stupa was removed to Varanasi to be used as building materials in the 18h century. At that time, also relics were found in the Dharmarajika Stupa. These relics were subsequently thrown in the Ganges river.

The ruins of the Mulagandhakuti vihara mark the place where the Buddha spent his first rainy season.

The modern Mulagandhakuti Vihara is a monastery built in the 1930s by the Sri Lankan Mahabodhi Society, with beautiful wall paintings. Behind it is the Deer Park (where deer are still to be seen).

The Ashoka Pillar erected here, originally surmounted by the "Lion Capital of Asoka" (presently on display at the Sarnath Museum), was broken during Turk invasions but the base still stands at the original location.

The Sarnath Archeological Museum houses the famous Ashokan lion capital, which miraculously survived its 45-foot drop to the ground (from the top of the Ashokan Pillar), and became the National Emblem of India and national symbol on the Indian flag. The museum also houses a famous and refined Buddha-image of the Buddha in Dharmachakra-posture.

There is also a Bodhi tree planted by Anagarika Dharmapala which was grown from a cutting of the Bodhi Tree at Bodh Gaya.For Buddhists, Sarnath (or Isipatana) is one of four pilgrimage sites designated by Gautama Buddha, the other three being Kushinagar, Bodh Gaya, and Lumbini.