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Sarnath Deer Park

Sarnath is a place located 10 kilometres north-east of Varanasi city near the confluence of the Ganges and the Varuna rivers in Uttar Pradesh, India.

The deer park in Sarnath is where Gautama Buddha first taught the Dharma, and where the Buddhist Sangha came into existence through the enlightenment of Kondanna (Sanskrit: Kaundinya).

Monastery No. 7.
As soon as we enter Sarnath Deer Park we can see the foundations of Monastery No. 7.


Dharmarajika Stupa.
The Dharmarajika Stupa (bottom) is one of the few pre-Ashokan stupas remaining at Sarnath, although only the foundations remain.

  • In the distance you can see the Dhamekh Stupa (left) and the Bhgwan Shreyans Nath Birth Place (right).

Dhamek Stupa.
The Dhamek Stupa is said to mark the spot (Rishipattana which can be translated as "where the Rishi arrived") where the Buddha gave the first sermon to his first five Brahmin disciples after attaining enlightenment, "revealing his Eightfold Path leading to nirvana".

  • In several of the ancient sources the site of the first sermon is mentioned to have been at a ″Mriga-dayaa-vanam″ or a sanctuary for animals. (In Sanskrit mriga is used in the sense of game animals, deer being the most common).
  • See more at Dhamek Stupa - Wikipedia.

Circumambulating the Dhamek Stupa.
Several dignitaries as well as other pilgrims of Buddhist countries visit this place for circumambulation of this sacred Stupa.

  • Circumambulation (Parikrama) is the clockwise circumambulation of sacred entities, and the path along which this is accomplished, as practiced in Indian religions – Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. In Buddhism it refers only to the path along which this is accomplished.
  • The pattern of worship followed by Tibetans is different from other Buddhists. Tibetan Buddhists circumambulate the Stupa counterclockwise chanting the mantra 'Om mani padme hum'.
  • See more at Parikrama - Wikipedia.

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