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Sandstone building of the Sarnath Archaeological Museum behind its lawns, Sarnath
BuddhistMuseum

Sarnath Archaeological Museumसारनाथ पुरातत्व संग्रहालय

  • Timings09:00–17:00, closed Fri (some government listings say 10:00 opening)
  • Entry₹5 (ASI museum ticket)
  • Time needed45 min–1 h
  • Best timeWeekday mornings soon after opening, before the tour groups; any day except Friday

The Archaeological Survey of India's oldest site museum, built beside the excavated deer park and completed in 1910.

Photos

Visit at a glance

Timings and fees are not confirmed from an official source; check before you go.

Good to know

  • The museum is shut on Fridays while the excavated site stays open, so plan Sarnath for another day if you want to see the capital.
  • Bags and phones are often sent to the cloakroom at the gate; do not count on photographing the galleries.
  • See the museum before the ruins: the capital and the sculptures make the bare foundations outside much easier to read.
Read the full story

Its central hall holds the polished sandstone Lion Capital of Ashoka, about 250 BCE, which F. O. Oertel's excavation brought to light in 1904–05 and which India took as its national emblem. Nearby sits the 5th-century Gupta Buddha in dharmachakra pravartana mudra, with the wheel and the first disciples carved on the pedestal; in all, five galleries span the 3rd century BCE to the 12th century CE.

The seated Buddha shows the hands turning the wheel of the Dhamma, the gesture of the first sermon given in this deer park. Sculptors of the Sarnath school carved it from fine-grained Chunar sandstone, and its calm, downcast face became a model for Buddha images across Asia.

Sources: Wikipedia — Sarnath Museum (1904 decision, completed 1910, coordinates) · Wikipedia — Lion Capital of Ashoka (excavated by F. O. Oertel, 1904–05) · Wikipedia — Buddha Preaching his First Sermon (Sarnath) · OpenStreetMap — Sarnath Archaeological Museum (way 103178213) · ASI Sarnath Circle — Visitor information (museum 09:00–17:00, museum ticket ₹5) · Incredible India (Ministry of Tourism) — Sarnath Museum (10:00–17:00, closed Friday; oldest ASI site museum) · Scroll.in — ASI bans selfie sticks at 46 site museums; personal photography stays free (6 Jul 2017)

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