Excavated Remains, Sarnath

The excavated remains at Sarnath form the core archaeological site of Deer Park, where the Buddha is believed to have delivered his first sermon after attaining enlightenment. The first major excavations were carried out by the Archaeological Survey of India in the winter of 1904-05. During further excavation in 1905, F. O. Oertel uncovered the remains of a square temple to the west of the Dhamek Stupa, along with broken fragments of the Ashoka Pillar found nearby; combined, the surviving pillar fragments measure 17.5 feet. The site is dominated by the Dhamek Stupa, a cylindrical brick-and-stone monument roughly 43.6 metres tall and 28 metres in diameter, built to mark the spot of the first teaching, along with the ruins of monasteries, shrines and votive stupas spanning several centuries of Buddhist activity. The famous Lion Capital of Ashoka, recovered from the pillar remains here, is now preserved in the adjoining Sarnath Museum, the first site museum built by the ASI.