Sarnath

Related Category: South Asian History

(särnät´), archaeological site, SE Uttar Pradesh, India, 4 mi (6.4 km) N of Varanasi (Benares). It is the site of the deer park (mrigadawa) where, according to tradition, Buddha first preached. Buddhist monuments include an inscribed pillar (3d cent. B.C.) of Emperor Asoka and a stupa (7th cent. A.D.), c.140 ft (42 m), high.