Sarnath Inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Site, Recounting Its Rediscovery and Excavation History
So, at the recent World Heritage Committee session in Busan, South Korea, Sarnath, the historic Buddhist site, has officially joined the UNESCO World Heritage List alongside 25 other new sites. This place is super important for Buddhists because it's where the Buddha delivered his first sermon back in the 6th century BC. After falling into neglect in the 12th century, it was rediscovered in the 18th century. Babu Jagat Singh stumbled upon a relic casket in 1794 and told Jonathan Duncan, who later recorded it in 1799. Excavations started in 1815 with Colonel Colin Mackenzie and continued with Sir Alexander Cunningham from 1834 to 1836, uncovering significant finds like the Lion Capital of an Ashokan pillar. Today, Sarnath is bustling with pilgrims and tourists.
Key facts
- Sarnath was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List during the World Heritage Committee Session in Busan, South Korea.
- Sarnath is the site where the Buddha delivered his first sermon in the 6th century BC.
- Sarnath is one of the four principal Buddhist pilgrimage sites, along with Lumbini, Bodh Gaya, and Kushinagar.
- In 1794, Babu Jagat Singh uncovered a relic casket at Sarnath, leading to Jonathan Duncan's 1799 account in Asiatic Researches.
- Colonel Colin Mackenzie, first Surveyor General of India, initiated the first systematic excavation at Sarnath in 1815.
- Sir Alexander Cunningham, first Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India, excavated Sarnath between 1834 and 1836.
- Friedrich Oertel's 1904-05 excavation uncovered the Lion Capital of an Ashokan pillar and other significant artefacts.
- John Marshall founded the site museum at Sarnath in 1904 to house the discoveries.
- Sarnath is now preserved as two archaeological zones and is a revived pilgrimage site.
Entities
Artists
- Gautama Buddha
- Babu Jagat Singh
- Jonathan Duncan
- Colonel Colin Mackenzie
- Sir Alexander Cunningham
- Friedrich Oertel
- John Marshall
- Raja Chait Singh
- Kanishka
- Ashoka
Institutions
- UNESCO
- Asiatic Society of Bengal
- Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)
- Asian Art Newspaper
Locations
- Sarnath
- Busan
- South Korea
- Lumbini
- Bodh Gaya
- Kushinagar
- Benares
- India
- Burma