The Ancient Buddhist Site of Sarnath

Recognition

Submitted to India's Official Entry to UNESCO in 2025

Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

Upon his enlightenment at Bodhgaya, the Buddha gave his first sermon, Dhammachakrapravartana “Turning of the Wheel of the Law” at Sarnath. This event, of outstanding universal value, is believed to have taken place in the 35th year of the Buddha’s life, in the 5th Century BCE. Inscriptions at the Nominated Property bear record of the sermon and refer the site as Dharmachakra or Saddharma Chakrapravartana- vihara, i.e., “the monastery of the turning of the wheel of the good law”. The Nominated Property, as haloed ground where the Buddha shared his message with the world, is chronicled in Buddhist scriptures, jatakas, epic poems and ancient travelogues - marking the foundational moment of the sangha and of the Buddhist doctrine. The component parts of the Nominated Property provide focal point for the veneration of the Buddha’s through pilgrimage, re-enacting his search for enlightenment. Sited within the sacred geography of Rishipattana, the Nominated Property is associated with the Buddhist cultural practices of pilgrimage to attain freedom from the cycle of life and death.

Client

UPICON for Government of Uttar Pradesh

Type

Preparation of Nomination Dossier for UNESCO World Heritage Inscription

Status

Submitted in 2025

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