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{{short description|Historic town in Uttar Pradesh, India}} {{about|the Indian city|H. P. Lovecraft's fictitious city|The Doom That Came to Sarnath}} {{Use Indian English|date=August 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}} {{Infobox settlement | name = Sarnath | settlement_type = Historical Town | image_skyline = Ancient Buddhist monasteries near Dhamekh Stupa Monument Site, Sarnath.jpg | image_caption = View of Sarnath, looking from the ancient Mulagandha Kuty Vihara towards the [[Dhamek Stupa]] | Known as = Deer Park | pushpin_map = India#India Uttar Pradesh | pushpin_relief = yes | pushpin_label_position = left | coordinates = {{coord|25.3780|N|83.0251|E|display=inline,title}} | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = {{flag|India}} | subdivision_type1 = State | subdivision_name1 = [[Uttar Pradesh]] | subdivision_type2 = District | subdivision_name2 = [[Varanasi district|Varanasi]] | unit_pref = Metric | population_density_km2 = auto | demographics_type1 = Languages | demographics1_title1 = Local | demographics1_info1 = [[Bhojpuri language|Bhojpuri]] | utc_offset1 = +5:30 }} {{BuddhasHolySites}} {{Buddhist_pilgrimage_sites_in_India.svg}} {{buddhism}} {{Infobox Buddhist term | title = Sarnath | sa = सारनाथम् | sa-Latn= saraṅga-nāthá | pi = | pi-Latn = | bn = সারনাথ | bn-Latn = | my = ဣသိပတန မိဂဒါဝုန် | my-Latn = | zh = 鹿野苑 | zh-Latn = Lùyěyuàn | ja = サールナート/鹿野苑 | ja-Latn = Sārunāto/Rokuyaon | jv= | jv-Latn = | kaw = | kaw-Latn = | km = | km-Latn= | ko = 사르나트/녹야원(鹿野園) | ko-Latn = Sareunateu/Nokyawon | lo = | mnw = | mnw-Latn = | shn = | shn-Latn = | si = සාරනාත් | si-Latn = | ta = சாரநாத் | ta-Latn = | th = สารนาถ | th-Latn= | bo = | bo-Latn = | vi = Sarnath | id = Sarnath | kannada = | en = }} '''Sarnath''' (also known as '''Deer Park''',<ref name=Nekhor/><ref>Maps of India, "History: The Mesmeric Deer Park of Sarnath", 16 September 2013</ref><ref>Subham Mangsingka, "Deer Park", ''Times of India'', 11 January 2017</ref> ''Sarangnath'', ''Isipatana Deer Park'', ''Rishipattana'', ''Migadaya'', or ''Mrigadava'')<ref name=NRI2022>{{cite web|author=NRI Department, Government of Uttar Pradesh, India|authorlink=Government of Uttar Pradesh|title=About Sarnath|work=Sarnath|publisher=NRI Department, Government of Uttar Pradesh, India|location=Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India|year=2022|url=https://nri.up.gov.in/article/en/sarnath|accessdate=1 January 2023|archive-date=17 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221217210223/https://nri.up.gov.in/article/en/sarnath|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=WisLib>Gabe Hiemstra, "Buddha Chronicle 24: Kassapa Buddhavaṃsa". ''Wisdom Library'', 14 September 2019.</ref> is a town northeast of [[Varanasi]], in [[Uttar Pradesh]], India. As the ''[[Lalitavistara]]'' [[sutra]] states, the [[The Buddha|Gautama Buddha]] chose ''"Deer Park by the Hill of the Fallen Sages, outside of Varanasi"''<ref name=Nekhor/> for his first teaching after he attained [[Enlightenment in Buddhism|enlightenment]] <ref name=Nekhor> Samye Translations, "Sarnath: The First Turning of the Dharma Wheel", ''Nekhor: Circling the Sacred''</ref> in [[Bodh Gaya]]. The teaching is entitled [[Dhammacakkappavattana]] [[sutra]].{{sfn|Sahni|1914|p=2}} Sarnath is one of the eight most important pilgrimage sites for Buddhists, and has been nominated to become a [[UNESCO]] World Heritage Site.<ref>"Sarnath struggles for recognition as heritage bid gathers dust", ''The Times of India'', 19 April 2024</ref> Sarnath is where Gautama Buddha's ''[[sangha]]'' first convened, when he gave the first teaching to the Buddha's original five disciples [[Kaundinya]], [[Assaji]], Bhaddiya, Vappa and Mahanama,<ref name=buddhanet>{{cite web|author=BuddhaNet|title=The First Five Monks|work=Life of the Buddha|publisher=Buddha Dharma Education Association Inc.|location=Tullera, NSW, Australia|year=2008|url=https://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhism/lifebuddha/18lbud.htm|accessdate=1 January 2023|archive-date=7 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307225948/https://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhism/lifebuddha/18lbud.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> known as ''The First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma''.<ref name=Nekhor/> This teaching occurred circa 528 [[Common Era|BCE]] when the Buddha was approximately 35 years of age. The buddha before Gautama Buddha is [[Kassapa Buddha]], who was born in Sarnath to where he returned and joined his sangha of men and women in order to give his first teaching.<ref name=WisLib/> Several sources state that the name Sarnath is derived from ''Saranganath'' that translates as, “Lord of the Deer”. According to Buddhist history, during the local king's hunting trip, a male deer (buck) offered to sacrifice himself to save the life of a female deer (doe) that the king was aiming to kill. Impressed, the king then declared his park would thereafter be a deer sanctuary.<ref>Khenpo Sonam Tsering,''The Great Pilgrimage Sites in India'', 2021</ref><ref>Varanasi on Line, "Sarnath"</ref> According to the ''[[Mahāparinibbāṇa Sutta|Mahaparinibbana Sutta]]'' that is ''[[Sutra]]'' 16 of the ''[[Dīgha Nikāya|Digha Nikaya]]'', the Buddha mentioned Sarnath as one of the four [[Buddhist pilgrimage sites]] his devout followers should visit and look upon with [[Saṃvega|feelings of reverence]]. The other three sites are [[Lumbini]], the birthplace of the Buddha; [[Bodh Gaya]], where Buddha achieved enlightenment; and, [[Kushinagar]], where the Buddha attained ''[[parinirvana]]''.<ref name="Thanissaro1998">{{cite web|translator-last=Bhikkhu|translator-first=Thanissaro|translator-link=Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu|title=Maha-parinibbana Sutta: The Great Discourse on the Total Unbinding (excerpt)|work=[[Access to Insight]]|publisher=Barre Center for Buddhist Studies|location=Barre, Massachusetts|year=1998|url=https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.16.5-6.than.html#pilgrim|accessdate=1 January 2023|archive-date=17 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221217193913/https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.16.5-6.than.html#pilgrim|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Vajira&Story1998">{{cite web|translator-last1=Vajira|translator-first1=Sister|translator-link1=Sister Vajirā|translator-last2=Story|translator-first2=Francis|title=Maha-parinibbana Sutta: Last Days of the Buddha (Part Five)|work=[[Access to Insight]]|publisher=Barre Center for Buddhist Studies|location=Barre, Massachusetts|year=1998|url=https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.16.1-6.vaji.html#chap5|accessdate=1 January 2023|archive-date=25 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200625002728/https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.16.1-6.vaji.html#chap5|url-status=live}}</ref> Sarnath is located {{convert|8|km|mi|0|spell=on|abbr=off}} northeast of Varanasi near the confluence of the [[Ganges]] and the [[Varuna River|Varuna]] rivers.
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