Dhamek Stupa

Rising like a great weathered cylinder from the green lawns of Sarnath, roughly 10 km north-east of Varanasi's old city, the Dhamek Stupa is one of the most important monuments in the Buddhist world.

• Standing 43.6 metres tall and 28 metres in diameter, this solid drum of brick and stone marks the exact place where, some 2,500 years ago, the Buddha is believed to have preached his first sermon — the Dhammachakka Pavattana, or "Turning of the Wheel of Dharma" — to his five original disciples.
• It was here, in the ancient Deer Park (Isipatana, now Sarnath), that the newly enlightened teacher first set out the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path, effectively founding the Buddhist community.
• For pilgrims and history-lovers alike, few spots in India carry such quiet, foundational weight.
• The stupa you see today is the product of many centuries.
• Its origins are traditionally linked to Emperor Ashoka of the Maurya dynasty in the 3rd century BCE, and the buried basement is thought to survive from that earliest structure.
• The commanding form that survives now, however, was raised during the Gupta period around the 5th–6th century CE.
• Look closely at the lower stone facing and you will find beautifully carved geometric and floral bands, delicate lotus and foliage scrollwork, and empty niches that once held statues — hallmarks of Gupta craftsmanship.
• The whole complex sits within an ASI-protected archaeological garden dotted with the excavated foundations of ancient monasteries, the stump of Ashoka's famous pillar, and lawns where visitors circumambulate slowly in the early light.
• A visit rewards an unhurried pace.
• Come soon after opening, when the site is peaceful and the low sun rakes across the carved stone; walk clockwise around the base as pilgrims do, watch monks in maroon and saffron robes murmuring prayers, and pair the stupa with the superb Sarnath Archaeological Museum next door (home to the Lion Capital that became India's national emblem), the Mulagandha Kuti Vihara with its Japanese frescoes, and the octagonal Chaukhandi Stupa nearby.
• Modesty and calm are appreciated at this living place of worship.
• For vegetarian travellers, Sarnath could hardly be easier.
• As a Buddhist pilgrimage town it is overwhelmingly pure-vegetarian and satvik in spirit, and the little cluster of eateries around the monument serves simple, meat-free, alcohol-free food — garden thalis, chole bhature, litti-chokha, dosas and fresh paneer curries.
• Carry a bottle of water, and if you continue back into Varanasi's old city you will find its legendary pure-veg chaat, kachori-sabzi and sweets waiting.
• There is no need to compromise your diet anywhere on this route.