There are four holiest of locations to visit on pilgrimage for Buddhists. One is in Nepal ( [A] his birth place) and three are in India ( [B] his place of death, [C] where he meditated under the bodhi tree and [D]  where he first preached). 10 miles out of Varanasi is Sarnath, where Buddha preached giving his first sermon, established his Dharma  and four principles and chose his first apostles.

Though Nepal and India are not Buddhist countries, Buddhists world wide flock there to visit these four sites. We saw groups of Buddhist monks and nuns visiting from both Nepal and Mongolia.

The following photos show the archeological digs at Sarnath. The on site museum houses a wealth of statuary and artifacts unearthed here.

The high lite is the massive grand stupa. Buddhists always walk in a clock wise direction around a religious site while praying or chanting.