while the Dalai Lama is in town...

Group celebrating Buddha under a tree near the stupa

Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh, Inde.

Sarnath

This is a picture of Sarnath, where the Buddha made his first sermon after attaining Nirvana. I framed the Dharma Stupa with the trees, to take away the effect of the flat sky

viewed from the other side of the ruins

Sarnath

sarnath

Sarnath

Holy City for Buddhists - First sermon by Lord Gautama Buddha

Bodhi Tree

This chai-wallah in the Buddhist holy town of Sarnath very kindly let me take a picture of him at work. He makes a great cuppa too.

20100416@Varanasi -- Sarnath

The modern Mulagandhakuti Vihara is a monastery built in the 1930s by the Sri Lankan Mahabodhi Society, with beautiful wall paintings. Behind it is the Deer Park (where deer are still to be seen).

on the Dhammekh stupa

Group celebrating Buddha under a tree near the stupa

Went to Sarnath on Dec 11, 2008. Sarnath is less than 30k from Varnasi.. but road conditions and the crowd make it a ardous journey.

Sarnath is where Gautama Buddha first preached to 5 of his disciples..

Also, we saw a huge tomb built by King Asoka plus the excavations of a huge Monstary..

Overall a nice place to visit..

Didn't have time to visit a Govt run museum.. that's where the Ashoka Chakra.. emblem of India is kept..