Sarnath Museum is one of the most popular and oldest museums in Varanasi. It is just 10 km away from the city Varanasi. It is a must visit place for the tourists in Uttar Pradesh. It is the place where Gautama Buddha teaches about the Dharma first time. It is one of the main spots for the Buddhists in India. The Sarnath city is created by the Banaras king for preserving the deer. The city is therefore known as Sarnath city which means Lord of the deer.
It is the main pilgrimage centers for Buddhist in India. This place is also connected with birth and enlightenment of the Buddha. The museum was built by the government in 1905 on the proposal of Sir John Marshall. In 1910, it was completed. The museum has two verandahs and five galleries.
The museum also has a pillar of the Ashoka which is the main attraction in the museum. It looks beautiful with its four lions back to back. It also has a design of horse, elephant, and bull on it’s below. The museum has a big hall in its entrance. The hall has a high-quality collection of things in the gallery of Shakyasimha. The gallery also has images of Buddha in a large number of postures. One image in the gallery is dedicated by the Bhikshu ball which is decorated with red sandstone. There are also many pictures of Buddha in various attitudes in the gallery of Tathagata. One another gallery in the museum has images of Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh in the Trimurti gallery. It also has pictures of Saraswati, Surya, birds, animals, and many others. There are many images of Lord Shiva in the various forms in the gallery of Ashutosh.
There are many other beautiful nearby spots for the tourists. It is the tourism place for Hinduism, Buddhist and for Jains. The tourists can visit Chaukhandi Stupa. It is the place in Sarnath where the lecture about the Dharma was given by Lord Buddha first time. It is a tower of octagonal shape and just 13 km away from the Varanasi. There is also another stupa named as Dhamekh stupa. It is made up of bricks and has the cylindrical shape. In 249 BCE, this stupa was built by the Ashoka. It has various images of Lord Buddha with having the height of 8 inches. The tourists can also visit a nearby temple of Mulagandhakuti Vihara Buddhist. The temple was built at a place where the first rainy day has been spent by the Lord Buddha. The temple also has a Bodh tree in it’s nearby. The tourists can also visit thai Buddha where an 80 ft high Buddha statue has been kept. The tourists can also visit the Deer Park which is very clean and beautiful.
The tourists can reach this place through railway, roadways and by air. The nearest airport and railway station is in Varanasi. It is 24 km away from the Sarnath. The tourists can take the bus, or book any cab or taxi to reach this place. The opening time of the temple is from 9 AM to 4:45 PM.
