This is one of the most famous Buddhist centers of India and is located 6 km north of Hindu pilgrimage center Benares - in Uttar Pradesh, near the highway to Ghazipur.
The earliest remains here at Sarnath are from the Mauryan period ascribed to Emperor Ashoka the great. The Lion Capital is the national emblem of India. The Dharmarajika Stupa was built by Ashoka, and it was expanded and enlarged several times upto the 12th century CE. The structures here were destroyed by repeated invasions - and by gradual neglect - and what are seen today are the results of repeated reconstruction efforts.
The Chinese traveller Hsuen Tsang who visited India in the 7th century CE, speaks of the glory of Sarnath and
of the structures that existed then.
A modern temple to Buddha has been built here in the 20th century, housing several of the Buddhist relics excavated here. On Buddha Purnima, the birthday of Buddha, relics of the Buddha are taken out in procession. The archeological museum at Sarnath houses several Buddhist sculptures and relics. The Mahabodhi library here houses a rich collection of Buddhist manuscripts and writings.
King Asoka visited Sarnath in 249 BC and erected several monuments to mark his pilgrimage, notably; the Dhamek stupa, Dharmarajika stupa and the Asokan pillar surmounted by the famous Lion Capital, which is now the crest of India. During the reign of King Kaniska (78 AD), Sarnath was a centre of religious activity and the famous collosal Bodhisatta image with a large parasol, was installed by
the bhikkhu Bala of Mathura. During the Gupta period (4th-6th century AD), the Dhamek Stupa was encased with carved stones, the Mulagandhakuti main shrine was enlarged and the famous Preaching Buddha image, a gift of King Kumaragupta, was added. In 520 AD, Sarnath had its share of destruction during the invasion of the Huns under the barbarian Mihirakula. But after the Huns were defeated, Sarnath again flourished under the Buddhist king, Harsa Vardharna (606-647 AD) and continued to be a living shrine under the Pala kings (8th-12th century AD). The last known patron of Sarnath was Queen Kumaradevi, the pious Buddhist wife of King Govindachandra of Benares (1114-1154 AD). She built a large monastery at Sarnath named Dhammacakka Jina Vihara, the ruins of which were exposed during excavations in the early 20th century. Things took a turn for the worse when Muslim hordes overran India and started their trail of destruction. After the diaspora of the Sangha in India, Sarnath became deserted and was f
orgotten for about 600 years. In 1794, Sarnath came to the notice of the world under tragic circumstances. Jagat Singh, a minister in Benares, dismantled the famous Dharmarajika stupa as a convenient way of collecting bricks and stones for building a housing colony. When the stupa was pulled down, workmen found at a depth of 8.3m, a stone box containing a green marble casket. Inside it were human relics, presumably those of the Buddha, since they were enshrined there by King Asoka. Following Hindu custom, Jagat Singh consigned them into the Ganges River, where they were lost forever. This act of vandalism would have gone unnoticed but for a report about the discovery by Jonathan Duncan, Commissioner of Benares, which appeared in the ‘Asiatic Researches.’ Soon public attention was attracted to the ruins of Sarnath and in 1815, Col. C. Mackenzie began explorations and discovered some sculptures, which are now kept at the Calcutta Museum. In 1835-36, Cunningham carried out excavations and recovered over forty sculptures and carved stones. Another tragedy struck when they were carted away in his absence together with sixty cartloads of stones from the shrines as construction material for two bridges and some buildings in Benares. Further excavations were continued on and off from 1851 to 1922, which exposed the Dhamek stupa, the Dharmarajika stupa, Mulagandhakuti shrine, Asokan pillar and the ruins of several monasteries.
The earliest remains here at Sarnath are from the Mauryan period ascribed to Emperor Ashoka the great. The Lion Capital is the national emblem of India. The Dharmarajika Stupa was built by Ashoka, and it was expanded and enlarged several times upto the 12th century CE. The structures here were destroyed by repeated invasions - and by gradual neglect - and what are seen today are the results of repeated reconstruction efforts.
The Chinese traveller Hsuen Tsang who visited India in the 7th century CE, speaks of the glory of Sarnath and
of the structures that existed then.A modern temple to Buddha has been built here in the 20th century, housing several of the Buddhist relics excavated here. On Buddha Purnima, the birthday of Buddha, relics of the Buddha are taken out in procession. The archeological museum at Sarnath houses several Buddhist sculptures and relics. The Mahabodhi library here houses a rich collection of Buddhist manuscripts and writings.
King Asoka visited Sarnath in 249 BC and erected several monuments to mark his pilgrimage, notably; the Dhamek stupa, Dharmarajika stupa and the Asokan pillar surmounted by the famous Lion Capital, which is now the crest of India. During the reign of King Kaniska (78 AD), Sarnath was a centre of religious activity and the famous collosal Bodhisatta image with a large parasol, was installed by
the bhikkhu Bala of Mathura. During the Gupta period (4th-6th century AD), the Dhamek Stupa was encased with carved stones, the Mulagandhakuti main shrine was enlarged and the famous Preaching Buddha image, a gift of King Kumaragupta, was added. In 520 AD, Sarnath had its share of destruction during the invasion of the Huns under the barbarian Mihirakula. But after the Huns were defeated, Sarnath again flourished under the Buddhist king, Harsa Vardharna (606-647 AD) and continued to be a living shrine under the Pala kings (8th-12th century AD). The last known patron of Sarnath was Queen Kumaradevi, the pious Buddhist wife of King Govindachandra of Benares (1114-1154 AD). She built a large monastery at Sarnath named Dhammacakka Jina Vihara, the ruins of which were exposed during excavations in the early 20th century. Things took a turn for the worse when Muslim hordes overran India and started their trail of destruction. After the diaspora of the Sangha in India, Sarnath became deserted and was f
orgotten for about 600 years. In 1794, Sarnath came to the notice of the world under tragic circumstances. Jagat Singh, a minister in Benares, dismantled the famous Dharmarajika stupa as a convenient way of collecting bricks and stones for building a housing colony. When the stupa was pulled down, workmen found at a depth of 8.3m, a stone box containing a green marble casket. Inside it were human relics, presumably those of the Buddha, since they were enshrined there by King Asoka. Following Hindu custom, Jagat Singh consigned them into the Ganges River, where they were lost forever. This act of vandalism would have gone unnoticed but for a report about the discovery by Jonathan Duncan, Commissioner of Benares, which appeared in the ‘Asiatic Researches.’ Soon public attention was attracted to the ruins of Sarnath and in 1815, Col. C. Mackenzie began explorations and discovered some sculptures, which are now kept at the Calcutta Museum. In 1835-36, Cunningham carried out excavations and recovered over forty sculptures and carved stones. Another tragedy struck when they were carted away in his absence together with sixty cartloads of stones from the shrines as construction material for two bridges and some buildings in Benares. Further excavations were continued on and off from 1851 to 1922, which exposed the Dhamek stupa, the Dharmarajika stupa, Mulagandhakuti shrine, Asokan pillar and the ruins of several monasteries. 
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