‘Buddham sharanam Gachchami’ , this is one of the chanting which Buddha has given us and when we talk about Buddha then the mention of Sarnath is inevitable. Out of the four most important Buddhist pilgrimages, Sarnath is one of them where Buddha preached his first sermons known as Dharma-is one of them where Buddha preached his first sermons known as Dharma-Chakra-Pravartana. Besides this Sarnath is also a religious and sacred place for the Jainas as they take it as a place of asceticism and death of the “Sreyansanatha” who was the 11th Teerthankara.
Sarnath derives its name from “Sarangnath” or “The Deer God” which is apparently Lord Shiva. The history of this holy site dates back to 528 BC.
Excavations conducted at the site by Sir Alexander Cunnigham (1835-36) and Mr. Daya Ram Sahni (1927-32) have brought to light numerous structural and artistic remains. Most of the objects are now housed in the Archaeological Museum at Sarnath which is oldest site museum established in 1910 C.E.
There are 5 galleries and 2 verandahs where sculptures, architectural members and the antiquities are displayed. The entrance is provided through the main hall (Gallery no. 3) wherein the esteemed Lion Capital of Ashoka Pillar which is also the National Emblem Of the Republic of India is displayed.
Gallery no. 1 portrays the ‘preaching Buddha’, exhibiting the famous Dharma chakra pravartana mudra (turning the wheel of Law).
Gallery No. 2 shows the images of different Lords including Siddhaikavira, Uchchhusma Jambhala, Bodhisattva Padamapani and many others while stucco human heads, terracotta, baked decorative tiles, pots and pottery are displayed in gallery no. 4.
Apart from the aforementioned, images belonging to Shiva, Agni, Vishnu, Lakshmi, Saraswati and other deities is displayed in Gallarey no. 5.
This is a must visit place because of its rich cultural history and people from different corners of the world come here to visit and witness the glorious past which is preserved here.
Time- 9 am to 5 pm; Friday Closed; Photography Allowed, Wheelchair Accessible Direction
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