Varanasi.

Today, I was up very early, before the sun, to sail along the Ganges and see devout Hindus bathing and praying beneath the rising sun.

Sailing the Ganges.

Photos from the River Ganges.

Sarnath.

Sarnath is a town located 8 kilometres northeast of Varanasi, near the confluence of the Ganges and the Varuna rivers in Uttar Pradesh. The name Sarnath derives from the Sanskrit word Sāranganātha, which translates to "Lord of the Deer" in the English language. The name refers to an ancient Buddhist legend in which the Bodhisattva was a deer and offered his life to a king instead of the doe the king was planning to kill. The king was so moved that he created the park as a deer sanctuary.

Sarnath is also where the Buddhist sangha first came into existence, as a result of the first teaching given to the Buddha's first five disciples, Kaundinya, Assaji, Bhaddiya, Vappa and Mahanama, known as The First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma, this teaching occurred circa 528 BC when the Buddha was approximately 35 years of age.

Thai Temple.

The Thai Temple at Sarnath is famous as the place where Gautama Buddha first taught the Dharma or where Buddha preached his first sermon. This is the place where the original Sangha was formed. I had a short visit to the Thai Temple and enjoyed a walk around the ornate Buddhas and the tranquil gardens.

Dhamek Stupa.

Dhamek Stupa is a massive stupa located in Deer Park at Sarnath in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. One of the eight most important pilgrimage sites for Buddhists, the Dhamek Stupa marks the location where the Buddha gave his first teaching to his first five disciples: Kaundinya, Assaji, Bhaddiya, Vappa and Mahanama.

I liked the gardens here and would like to say how peaceful it was to walk around. Unfortunately, a local church had a truck outside the grounds with huge speakers on it and was playing very loud music to people following behind it. Our guide told us that more churches are doing this to try and attract younger people to church. It may well attract younger people, but so would a disco, and there is no need to do this, especially to allow them so close to any Buddhist monument.

Sarnath Museum.

Sarnath Museum is the oldest site museum of the Archaeological Survey of India. It houses the findings and excavations at the archaeological site of Sarnath, which the Archaeological Survey of India conducted.

We only had a brief walk around the museum, and it didn't take long to look around. There were some interesting artefacts in the museum, and I am glad we had a look around, but if you are in the area and in a hurry, miss it and look at the museum website instead.

When I left the museum, I stood outside to wait for the rest of the tour group and was approached, on my blind side, by someone who I assumed was trying to sell something. I politely said no thank you and waved him away, but as I turned towards him, I realised his friend was standing there with a camera, and he just wanted to have a photograph taken with me. I was head and shoulders taller than most of the Indians and was something of a novelty to them. I agreed to have a photo taken with him, and then I was approached by two family groups who all wanted to pose with me and have their photo taken with me. I obliged and had photos taken with them all, and by now, the tour group was all appearing, and I rejoined them to get back onto our coach.

 Radisson Hotel Varanasi.

The hotel for my stay in Lucknow tonight was the Radisson Hotel Varanasi.