Sarnath and Bodh Gaya

The Ganges plain is where Buddhism began. Two of its holiest sites are within reach of a Ganges river cruise: Sarnath, just outside Varanasi, and Bodh Gaya in Bihar.

Sarnath

After his enlightenment, the Buddha came to the deer park at Sarnath and gave his first sermon to five companions. Today the site is a peaceful park of brick monastery ruins, with the great Dhamek Stupa at its center and the stump of an Ashokan pillar. The Lion Capital that once crowned that pillar, now in the site museum, is the national emblem of India. Modern temples built by Buddhist communities from across Asia surround the park.

Bodh Gaya

Bodh Gaya, in Bihar, is where the Buddha attained enlightenment beneath the Bodhi tree. The Mahabodhi Temple complex there is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the most important pilgrimage place in the Buddhist world. Monasteries from many countries line the town’s streets.

Visiting Respectfully

Both sites are active places of worship. Remove shoes where asked, walk clockwise around stupas and shrines as pilgrims do, and keep voices low near meditating monks and visitors. Modest dress is expected. Early morning is the most peaceful time at Bodh Gaya, when chanting fills the temple grounds; Sarnath is quietest on weekday mornings. A guide who knows the Buddhist story brings both places to life.

Buddhist travelers sometimes build a full pilgrimage around these places, adding Kushinagar, where the Buddha died, and Lumbini across the border in Nepal, where he was born. Those routes are land journeys, but a Ganges cruise and a few days in Varanasi make a natural beginning or end.