Sarnath is a City in Uttar Pradesh state of northeast India about 6 miles from Varanasi where the Buddha delivered His first sermon to humans. Sarnath name literally means Lord of the Deer and relates to another old Buddhist story in which the Bodhisattva is a deer and offers his life to a king instead of the doe the latter is planning to kill. The king is so moved that he creates the park as a sanctuary for deer. The park is still there today and is known as Deer Park.

Sarnath city has a number of Buddhist monuments and other edifices. Dhamekha Stupa, Chaukhandi Stupa and various Buddhist temples of Japan, Thailand, China and Burma schools of Buddhism are flocked by a large number of visitors from far away places. One of the most important figures of Sarnath is the Ashoka Pillar, which is the national emblem of India. One can spot the ruins of various Buddhist structures in Sarnath, which were built between 3rd century BC and 11th century AD.