Sarnath Museum

Sarnath in the state of Uttar Pradesh is one of the holiest site and a Buddhist Pilgrimage of India. This is the place where Buddha got his first sermon after he attained enlightenment. Along with some extensive and beautify ruins of Buddhist sites, this place also has numerous stupas, temples, ruins of some old monasteries, gardens, museums and other such interesting places. The archaeological museum in Sarnath is one of the most popular tourist sites to visit. It is the older of the Archaeological Survey of India. You will get to see some finest art embodiments of Buddhist here.

Things To Do

There are several things to do in Sarnath. It a place with holiness, beauty and several things are there for you to learn. You can visit the beautiful old monasteries that are built here, the gardens etc. You can also visit the Ganga Ghats in Varanasi, the ravishing Imambara in Lucknow and many more. Therefore after visiting Sarnath Museum, Sarnath, you should also visit the rest of the places in Uttar Pradesh and enjoy the most of it

History

Sarnath portrays some extensive ruins of Buddhism and has an interesting and rich history and heritage dating back to 528 B.C. After Buddha got enlightened at Bodh Gaya, he got his first preaching in the Deer Park, Sarnath. This place, therefore, is a great place to know about Buddhism and culture and teachings.

At the end of the 12th century, Sarnath was destroyed by the Turkish Muslims. Since that time, the place is been lying with its ruins. The Sarnath Museum, Sarnath has an amazing and rich collection of artefacts, sculptures and edifices which comprises several Bodhisattva and Buddha images apart from the ancient relics.

In 1904, the government decided to erect the Sarnath Museum, Sarnath to display and store the site excavations and findings and in the year 1910, the Archaeological Survey of India came into existence to preserve, study and display the antiques in every way possible.

The museum in Sarnath is the oldest Archaeological Survey of India which comprises of the beautiful collection of some extravagant sculptures and also some Buddhist art.

Best Time To Visit

In Uttar Pradesh in the confluence of two rivers, Ganga and Gomati are Sarnath. This place is one of the most known tourist spots in the country which holds a religious significance for the Jains and Buddhists. The weather of Sarnath is marked by enjoyable winters and harsh summers. Though the temperature difference is quite high, the best time to visit this place is in between October to March.

Summers: The summers in Sarnath is harsh and the temperature is high. It can sometimes rise up 46 degree Celsius. ‘Loo’ the hot and dry winds blow over the city in this season. One must take a lot of precautions and must avoid the tour of Sarnath in summers.

Monsoon: The humidity is high during monsoons because of the heavy showers. The average rainfall that this place receives during this time is around 1110 mm. The tourist visiting here during this time are asked to carry an umbrella and should wear cotton clothes. The place looks green and fresh in monsoons.

Winter: Sarnath, during winter, remains cool and the temperature can decrease up to 5 degree Celsius. It is highly advised to carry warm clothes as this place experience most and fog sometimes and can give you chills. Most of the people prefer the winter season to visit Sarnath as it is quite pleasing and good for sightseeing purpose.

How to Reach?

Sarnath is a little town in Uttar Pradesh that lies close to the city, Varanasi. This is the place where Gautama Buddha delivered his sermon for the first and attained enlightenment. Among all other four pilgrimages in India, this is one of them. If you are planning to visit Sarnath on your holiday, the first and foremost thing that you should be knowing is How to reach.

As mentioned earlier, Sarnath is close to Varanasi which makes it easier to reach by air or railways. From major parts of the country, you can easily reach Sarnath via, air, road or rail. There are even flight from Kathmandu, Nepal.

By Road: Sarnath Museum, Sarnath is well connected to the other parts of the country with roads. Another popular tourist zone that lies just 10 km downtown is Varanasi. This makes reaching Sarnath much easier. From major cities like Kanpur, Lucknow, Bareilly, Mathura, Agra and Allahabad, this place is well connected by buses. Several private buses are available from Varanasi and several state buses are also available.

By Air: Sarnath has it’s the neatest airport in Varanasi. It is around 30 km away from Sarnath and situated in Babatpur. It is one among the domestic airports in India. Almost all private and public aeroplanes land here and there are quite a lot of regular flights.

The nearest airport to Sarnath lies at Varanasi - the cultural capital of India. Varanasi Airport at Babatpur has located about 30 km from Sarnath. You take to visit any major city from Varanasi airport and even you can go to Kathmandu from here.

By Rail: Sarnath also has its railway station that is connected well with Gorakhpur and Varanasi for the passengers. One of the major junction in the region is the Varanasi railway station which is also well connected to the Sarnath. There are quite several trains that are connected to other parts of the country like Mumbai, Agra, Kolkata, New Delhi, Bangalore, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Mumbai etc. You can visit the Sarnath Museum, Sarnath using local transportation facilities after reaching Sarnath.

Sarnath Museum, Sarnath is, therefore, a great place to visit in your holidays and learn about Buddhist pilgrims and teachings. History and artefacts are quite ravishing and provide you with great knowledge. They are presented and preserved with care so that you as a tourist get to lean several things of past by having a glance on them.