Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh, India Editorial Photo

Sarnath is a small village in Uttar Pradesh, India, northeast of the holy city of Varanasi. Formerly known as Isipatana, it is famous as the site where Gautama Buddha first taught the Dharma, or where the Buddha preached his first sermon. It is also the place where the original Sangha was formed, making it one of the four main Buddhist pilgrimage destinations. Sarnath has been developed as a place of pilgrimage for Buddhists from India and abroad. A number of countries in which Buddhism is a major or dominant religion, like Thailand, Japan, Tibet, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, have established their temples and monasteries in Sarnath in architectural styles of their respective countries. Sarnath is also popular among tourists.