Inarguably, one of the holiest Buddhist sites in the world, Sarnath is famous as the place where Gautam Buddha delivered his first sermon. From then to the 12th century CE — nearly 1,700 years– it remained a centre of great learning, a place of pilgrimage and a vihara(residence) for monks and scholars and above all— the birthplace of Buddhism.

Barely 10 km N-E of Varanasi, near the confluence of the Ganga and Varuna rivers in U.P, Sarnath was initially known as 'Isipatana', (where the holy men arrived) in Early Buddhist Pali text, and 'Mrigadiva' or deer park.

Lore says that a Bodhisattva (one whose goal is awakening) turned himself into a deer and extended his life to a king instead of the doe that the latter was aiming to kill. The king was so moved that he created a park as a sanctuary for the deer.

The existing name of 'Sarnath' too has a deer connection. It is an abbreviation of 'Saranganatha' which means 'Lord of the Deer'. It is considered a sobriquet of Lord Shiva, who is frequently represented holding a deer in his left hand. A contemporary shrine of Mahadeva can be seen on a mound at Sarnath.

It is at this place, that the Buddha is believed to have delivered his first sermon after he attained enlightenment under a Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya, in the 6th century C.E.

But why did Buddha choose Sarnath for his first sermon?

Buddhist texts tell us that five men (or disciples) who, had accompanied Buddha on his journey of asceticism, and later abandoned him, had settled in Sarnath. So, when Buddha attained enlightenment, he felt they should be the first to know what he had discovered. So, he progressed to Sarnath and preached his teachings here for the first time. His first teachings came to be known as "Dharmachakra Pravartana Sutra" ( turning of the wheel of the law).

The sutra is one of the most fundamental sermons in Buddhism and through it Buddha explained the four noble truths and teachings associated with it...

(To be continued)