In the ancient Buddhist literature, Sarnath has been identified as Rishipatna and Mrigdava or Mrigadaya. The reason for it being referred to as Rishipatna was that after attaining nirvana, Pratyeka Buddhas or Rishis (Sages) fell at this place.

The reason behind the place being called mrigadava (deerpark) is found in the Buddhist Jatakas. As per Jataka, Buddha had been a leader of herd of deer in his previous births had saved the life of a doe and appeared before the king of Benaras and offered himself to be killed in the place of the doe who feasted on the flesh of deer regularly. The king was moved by the sacrificial zeal of Buddha and made a free roaming ground.

The place was also called Dharamchakra or Sadhamacharka pravartana vihar as revealed by the inscriptions of early medieval period (found at Sarnath). The current name Sarnath seems to be a short version of Saranganath that stands for Lord of deer.

Sarnath lost its identity and sunk in oblivion in the 13th century but gained its glory back in 1798. In 1798 Mr Duncan, the resident of Benaras, threw light on a casket of green marble inside a stone box which was unveiled by the workmen of Jagat Singh, Dewan of Raja Chet Singh of Benaras while he was knocking down the Dharmaralika stupa as he wanted to gather building material. This created a lot of buzz about Sarnath and it was then when Sarnath gained limelight.

Thereafter many archaeological excavations were conducted at the site by number of people namely Sir Alexander Cunningham (1835-36), Major Kittoe (1851-52), Mr. C. Horne (1865), Mr. F.O. Oertal (1904-5), Sir john Marshall (1907), Mr. H. Hargreaves(1914-15), and Mr. Daya Ram Sahni (1927-32).

These excavations unveiled carved railing pillars from Shunga period (2nd –1st cent. B.C). With the onset of the Kushanas (1st –2nd cent. A.D.), a new wave of religious and artistic activities emerged in northIndia.Mathurabecame the centre of all the new activities but Sarnath flourished equally during this period.

In the 3rd regnal year of Kanishka, a colossal image of Bodhisattva was imported fromMathura, which has now found a place for itself in the archaeologicalmuseumofSarnath.

Sarnath became a prominent centre of Buddhism in the Gupta period. The abundance of exquisitely carved sculptural art, which was given a new dimension by the Gupta artists, is testimony to this fact. The place, thus, became a main centre of Gupta art and gave rise to the Sarnath School of Art, which is known for its elegance, simplicity of forms and sublimity. The images of Buddha (displayed at Shakyasimha gallery) are a true example of thisschoolofArt. Standing figure of abundantly ornamented Tara is one of the best specimens of Late Gupta sculptural art ofSarnathSchool.

Sarnath became a centre of structural and artistic activities during this period and several structures including Mulgandhakuti, the chief shrine of the Buddha, were erected during this period. One of the most impressive and best preserved stupa is the Dhamekh Stupa at Sarnath. It is a cylindrical tower that measures 28.50 mts in diameter and 33.53 mts in height.

At the time of Chandragupta ll (376-414 A.D.), the famous Chinese traveler Fa-Hien visited Sarnath and saw four stupas and two monasteries here. Hiuen-Tsang has left a vivid description of Sarnath’s monuments.

Sarnath continued to blossom during the reign of the Pala kings. However, the place suffered when Benaras fall prey to Mahmud Ghajni’s invasions. The last remarkable monument at Sarnath that got shape was a large monastery built by Kumar Devi, wife of Govindchandra (1114-1154 A.D.) of the Gahadavala dynasty.

After that the architectural and artistic activities came to a standstill and the world had to wait for long to witness the real Sarnath till archaeological excavations unveiled the glory and heritage.

One of the four most important Buddhist pilgrimage destinations in India, Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh is the site where Lord Buddha - the great sage delivered his first sermon after attaining enlightenment. The rich and eventful History of Sarnath Uttar Pradesh is an interesting and captivating one.
The History of Sarnath Uttar Pradesh mentions that Sarnath had also been referred as 'Mrigadava' meaning 'deer park' and 'Isipatana' denoting the place where holy men fell to earth. Legend has it that before the Buddha was born, devas descended upon earth to announce the birth to500 holy men. The holy men all rose into the air and disappeared, and all their relics fell onto the ground.

The History of Sarnath India began with the arrival of Gautam Buddha at this place in 528 B.C. after he attained enlightenment at Bodh Gaya. Here he preached his first discourse to his five former companions. This event is described in Buddhist texts as dharmachakra - pravartana, meaning the turning of the Wheel of Law. The Buddha taught them al that he had learned

and thus they also became enlightened. This marked the foundation of the first Buddhist Sangha or the community of monks.
According to the History of Sarnath Uttar Pradesh, the Chinese traveler Hiouen Thsang had mentioned that the Deer Park at Sarnath was the forest gifted by the king of Benares of the Jataka, as a place where the deer might roan around unmolested. Thus Sarnath came to be named as 'Migadaya', so called because the deer could wander unharmed.

History of Sarnath India also mentions that the first preaching delivered by the Buddha at Sarnath is known in Pali as the Dhammacakkhapavathana Sutta. Other Suttas delivered here include Anattalakhana Sutta and the Saccavibhanga Sutta. The Buddha's main teachings after his enlightenment centered around the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path

After preaching his first discourse at Sarnath, the Buddha spent the next rainy season at the Mulagandhakuti vihara in Sarnath. By then, the Buddhist Sangha had grown to 60 in number. The Buddha then sent the members of the Sangha to preach his teachings all around.
The flourish of Buddhism in Sarnath can be attributed to a large extent to the support of kings and wealthy merchants inhabiting the region. By the 3rd century B.C., Sarnath had flourished as a major center for arts, and the town reached its zenith during the Gupta reign (4th -6th century A.D.). According to the History of Sarnath Uttar Pradesh, when the Chinese traveler Hsuan Tsang visited Sarnath in the 7th century, there were 30 monasteries and 3000 monks living in Sarnath.

Sarnath came to be a major center of the Sammatiya school of Buddhism, one of the Nikaya or Hinayana schools. The occurrence of images of Heruka and Tara at Sarntah monasteries indicate that Vajrayana Buddhism also flourished here.
The end of the 12th centyru saw Sarnath being ransacked by Turkish 

Muslims. The site was extensively plundered for building materials and has been lying in ruins since then. Thereafter, Sarnath remained completely deserted until 1836, when the British began excavations and restoration of this historic city.

Sarnath- Journey to the Places of Elucidation of Lord Buddha
sarnath? It is famous as Buddhist pilgrimage place and this is the place where Lord Buddha delivered his first speech. Mainly four Buddhist pilgrimage place in India, Sarnath is one pilgrimages and other three is Lumbini, Kushinagar and Bodh Gaya. Sarnath located in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, near Varanasi city. Varanasi is the holy city of India. The world famous holy river the Ganga is located only 10 km. The position of Buddha temples is near Sarnath railway station. The resident of sarnath is very helpful for tourist.

Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon in the Sarnath. Sarnath town has a number of Buddhists living of his own house. Name of stupa is Chaukhandi Stupa and various Buddhist temples of Japan, and many other countries temple is established on sarnath, a large number of visitors from faraway places. Ashoka Pillar is the most important figures of Sarnath and the national emblem of India.