Full day Private Guided Tour of Sarnath from Varanasi

We start the day with a boat ride over the Ganges and get a glimpse of live in this ancient city across its various ghats.

We will visit Sarnath, the most famous pilgrimage for Buddhists in India. Lord Buddha gave his first sermon here after attaining enlightenment in the year 528 BC. The great Mauryan Emperor Ashoka built magnificent stupas and monasteries in this area in the 3rd century BC. He also erected a column 15.24 m in height which had four lions and this was later adopted as the national emblem of India.

Dhamek Stupa is the most impressive structure here in Sarnath. The Stupa commemorates the first discourse of the Buddha which was on the ‘Wheel of Law’. The wheel reflects the world with its eternal existence due to our desires and cravings.

We next visit Chaukhandi Stupa a shrine for the relic of Buddha. This Stupa was built during the Gupta period between the 4th to 6th Century to highlight the site where Lord Buddha and his first disciples met traveling from Bodh Gaya to Sarnath. During the time of Akbar, the Mughal Emperor it was modified to its present shape by building the octagonal tower. These modifications were carried out to commemorate the visit of Humayun, the father of Akbar.

Mulagandha Kuti Vihar is a relatively new Buddhist temple. The highlight of this temple is its murals and frescoes. It stands as a contrast to the ruins of ancient Sarnath all around it. An interesting aspect of this temple complex is a Bodhi tree, which is supposedly a descendant of the tree beneath which Lord Buddha achieved enlightenment.