The Golden Temple is a symbol of great beauty and architectural brilliance. It houses the most exquisite golden statue of Buddha and is very peaceful. The inner sanctum contains large drums and many small bronze Buddha statues, all coated in gold. There are monks sitting on the floor chanting mantras. One can quietly walk around the temple, enjoying the beauty of its many wall paintings and murals. The Golden Temple is located inside Sarnath city, on an offbeat track, so you might have to search for it a bit, as it is not on the travel itinerary of most auto-rickshaw drivers. In the middle of the temple complex stands the great Ashoka Chakra, which stands out prominently. There is also a café by the name of Vajra Café where tourists can relax and sit.
The other famous temple, which was also our last sightseeing spot in Sarnath, was the Korea Temple. This temple was built to increase solidarity and friendship between India and Korea and has been constructed in the traditional Korean style of architecture.
Golden Temple and Korea Temple: Sarnath
Inside the Korea Temple, there is a large stone pillar marked as the monument of friendship between the two nations, commemorating the exchange along the Silk Route. Again, it is a very silent and meditative place. In fact, the entire city of Sarnath has a very tranquil feel—understandably, as this is the land of Buddha.
I enjoyed walking on the footpaths of the city, exchanging words of wisdom with the bhikkhus and Buddhist monks, and at times, enjoying sugarcane juice with them. The food in the city is mostly vegetarian, and the cost is minimal. For non-vegetarian food, one can visit UP 65. You can travel around the city for just Rs. 250, which allowed us to cover three to four places every day. It’s amazing that I was enjoying Sarnath so much; after spending five days in the city, I still felt there was a lot more to see and experience.
The city walls are full of paintings and wall art that depict stories from the life of Buddha and his teachings, along with the sermons he gave to his disciples. Sarnath is the second of the Buddhist Char Dham that I have visited so far, and it is a deeply spiritual city.
I also recommend that most travelers who come here stay in an ashram or in a place with lots of open gardens, as standard hotels and guesthouses can feel quite suffocating.
