Sarnath - where lord Buddha started his Dharma (Dhamma) chakra.

 SARNATH

SARNATH IS ONE AMONGST THE FOUR HOLY PLACES ASSOCIATED WITH THE LIFE OF LORD BUDDHA. THIS IS THE PLACE WHERE BUDDHA AFTER ATTAINING ENLIGHTENMENT AT BODHGAYA, PREACHED HIS FIRST SERMON TO HIS FIVE ERSTWHILE COMPANIONS. THIS EVENT IN BUDDHIST LITERATURE, IS KNOWN AS DHARMA CHAKRA-PRAVARTANA OR THE TURNING OF THE WHEEL OF LAW. FOUNDATION OF THE VERY FIRST BUDDHIST SANGHA WAS ALSO LAID OVER HERE BY LORD BUDDHA HIMSELF IN BUDDHIST TEXTS THE PLACE IS RECORDED AS RISHIPATAN OR ISSIPATANA AND MRIGADAVA OR MRIGADAYA. THOUGH ITS MODERN NAME SEEMS TO BE A CONTRACTION OF SARANGANATH (LORD OF DEERS), STILL BORNE BY THE MAHADEVA ENSHRINED IN A TEMPLE NEARBY. THE PLACE IS HELD EQUALLY HOLY BY THE JAINAS, AS BEING THE VENUE OF THE AUSTERITIES OF SREYANSANATHA, THE ELEVENTH TIRTHANKARA. THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE OF THE SITE WAS FIRST BROUGHT TO LIGHT BY MR. DUNCAN AND COL. E MACKENZIE DURING 1798.A.D WHICH WAS FOLLOWED BY A SERIES OF EXCAVATIONS BY ALEXANDER CUNNINGHAM (1835-36), MAJOR KITTOE (1851-52), MR. F. O. OERTEL (1904-05), SIR JOHN MARSHALL (1907), M.H. HARGREAVES (1914-15) AND LASTLY BY DAYARAM SAHANI, THESE EXCAVATIONS HAVE UNEARTHED A NUMBER OF MONASTERIES, STUPAS, TEMPLES, INSCRIPTIONS, SCULPTURES AND OTHER ANTIQUITIES DATING FROM THIRD CENTURY B.C TO TWELFTH CENTURY AD. NOTEWORTHY AMONG THEM ARE DHARMARAJIKA STUPA, DHAMEKH STUPA, MULGANDHA KUT, AN ASOKAN PILLAR WITH. LION CAPITAL DHARMA-CHAKRA-JIN-VIHARA OTHER MONASTERIES, CLUSTER OF VOTIVE STUPAS AND A LARGE NUMBER OF SCULPTURES. THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA HAS MAINTAINED A SITE MUSEUM CLOSEBY, WHICH HOUSES THE SCULPTURES, INSCRIPTIONS AND OTHER OBJECTS OF INTEREST RECOVERED FROM THE EXCAVATIONS.