Equally holy to Buddhists as are the ghats and Ganges of Varanasi to Hindus, Sarnath is a sea of pilgrims dotted by frequent tranquil islands of orange-robed Buddhist monks.  I've tried to capture the spirit of what we saw, with perhaps a touch of non-Buddhist humor here or there.

Sarnath is by tradition the place where the Buddha delivered his first sermon after achieving enlightenment.  On the spot where the sermon was supposedly delivered stands a huge brick stuppa.