Sarnath, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh · 25.3808°, 83.0245°
Where the Buddha, weeks after enlightenment, turned the Wheel of Dharma — preaching the Four Noble Truths to five companions in the deer park. The 43.6 m Dhamek Stupa (Gupta-era brick over Ashoka's original) marks the spot; Ashoka's lion capital found here is India's national emblem, and the site anchors the global Buddhist circuit.
A bodhisattva deer-king of Sarnath's ancient herds, offering his own life to a hunter-king in place of a doe's, converted the king and made the park inviolate — the deer that still graze here recall it.
~10 km from Varanasi city.
coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-26 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Gupta