"... here at Sarnath he turned twelve wheels of Dharma ...

Keep in mind this most beautiful wood,
named by the great rishi,
where ninety-one thousand kotis of Buddhas
formerly turned the Wheel.
This place is matchless, perfectly calm,
contemplating, always frequented by deer.
In this most beautiful of parks,
whose name was given by the rishi,
I will turn the holy Wheel."

— Voice of the Buddha

Despite being considered one of the major pilgrimage sites for Buddhists all over the world, I only heard of Sarnath from Pallavi—the owner of Stops Hostels in Varanasi—when we asked for recommendations of other places to visit. Imagine my fascination rising to an ultimate high when I found out that the Isipatana, or the deer park in Sarnath, was the place where Gautama Buddha first taught the Dharma, a key behavioral concept widely included in the teachings of several faiths, namely Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism.