Sarnath

We took a daytrip from Varanasi to see Sarnath, a 'deer park' where the Buddha first taught the Dharma. Because it is one of the four places of pilgrimmage designated by the Buddha himself, many groups from around the world have set up monasteries in Sarnath. Walking around town we saw architecture from Tibet, Japan and Thailand. Even more appealing to me, though, were the ruins of past temples and monasteies.


All of the particularly holy sites in the archaeological park were decorated with a spreading coat of gold leaf, pressed on by pilgrims one square inch at a time.

In memory of the original deer among which the Buddha taught, modern Sarnath has a mini zoo filled with deer, including what we dubbed the Gilled Antelope. The flap on its cheek opened and closed as it breathed. Any ideas?

On that rather non-sensical note, I'll add that the restaurant in Varanasi in which we ate that night had a large banner hanging outside its window, advertizing the following: "YES! WE'RE NOT AS DIRTY!"