The first truth is that there is sorrow (dukkha) in this world; the second relates to the origin and cause of sorrow; the third explains the cessation of sorrow; and the fourth expounds on the Eightfold Noble paths ( Arya-ashtanga marga), which leads to the end of sorrow and the attainment of peace, enlightenment and nirvana and all of these combined forms the foundation of Buddhism as we know it today.

Several historians believe that Buddha had chosen Sarnath for his first sermon due to its proximity to Varanasi, which by that time was already a great centre of learning. Presuming would give him a chance to have discourses with the learned men, something that would help him enlarge the scope of Buddhism. Sarnath, then later prospered under the Kings & wealthy merchants based in Banaras, who patronised Buddhism.

According to Buddhist texts, Buddha also laid the foundation of his "Sangha" or the order of monks at Sarnath. Buddhist accounts reveal that— Yasa, the son of a rich householder in Banaras, together with his 54 friends, was attracted by his teachings and became his disciple. With them, and the first five monks, Buddha founded the first "Sangha" of 60 monks and then sent them to various places of the world to preach and propagate the "Dhamma(buddha's teachings about the truth)" and the holy trinity of Dhamma, Sangha and Buddha later came to be known as three jewels or "Triratna" of Buddhism.

The Great Mauryan King Ashoka(269-232 BC) installed a monolithic pillar topped by a lion capital with a crowning Dharmachakra, here. The lion capital was later adopted by India as its National Emblem.

The pillar was inscribed with an Ashokan edict in the Brahmi script, in which the emperor warns monks and nuns against creating schisms or divisions in the Sangha.

Sarnath, in its entirety, reflects the evolution of Buddhism and its rich heritage for more than a millennium. It is truly a macrocosm of the Buddhist world in India and a radiating centre of light throughout the Buddhist world.