Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s2.t7.1

v1.c7.s2.t7.1

Lord Buddha proclaimed four holiest pilgrimage sites of Buddhism which were related to important events of his life. Of these four sites, Lumbini was related to his birth, Bodhgaya to his enlightenment, Sarnath to his first sermon and Kushinara to his attainment of nirvana. Sarnath is thus famous as the place where Buddha set in motion the wheel of law (Maha-Dhammacakkappavattana), by preaching his first five ascetic companions the fundamentals of Buddhism ie, Four Noble Truths and Eight Paths as well as several other *suttas* [discourses/ teachings]. He thus laid the foundation of Buddhist *dharma* and *sangha* which spread both in India and abroad, making Buddhism once the largest religion of the world. Located close to Varanasi-Kashi in eastern Uttar Pradesh, it is historically known as Rishipattan or Ishipattan (place of sages) and Mrigadaya (deer park). The popular name Sarnath is derived from its association with Rishi Sarangnath (master of deer), a Saiva sage.