Sarnath

About ten kms from the Varanasi, is the place where lord Buddha after enlightenment gave his first sermon or as the Buddhist say set the 'wheel of dharma' or law rolling. Today Sarnath is considered as one of the richest place to have antiques since the Ashoka period to the 12th century. The Dharmarajika stupa was also built by Ashoka and it was surmounted by the pillar. This pillar with four lions today forms the national emblem of India. Sarnath has many more ruins of monasteries and stupas. The spot at which the stupa stands is believed to be the place from where Buddha gave his forts sermon. Sarnath has an extremely rich collection of Buddhist statues. These sculptures are the images of Buddha and Bodhisatva. These images are kept in the Archaeological museum of Sarnath.

Chunar Fort
From their vantage point at the northern extremity of the Kaimur hills, the impressive sandstone battlements of Chunar command a meander in the Ganga before the river curves north to Varanasi 22 km away. Evidence of the earliest occupation of the site dates it to Vikramaditya of Ujjain in 56 BC. Chunar sandstone has been used for centuries, most famously in Ashokan pillars - and is still quarried, leaving the surrounding hills looking ravaged in places.

Jaunpur
This bustling town 58km north-west of Varanasi sees few travelers but is of interest to architectural historians for its mosques, which are built in a unique style that is part Islamic and part Hindu and Jain. Founded by Feroz Shah Tughlaq in 1360 on an ancient site, Jaunpur became the capital of the independent Muslim Sharqui kingdom. The most impressive mosques were constructed between 1394 and 1478. They were built on ruins of Hindu, Buddhist and Jain temples and shrines, and are notable for their odd mixture of architectural styles, their two storey arcades and large gateways, and their unusual minarets. Jaunpur was sacked by Sikandar Lodi, who left only the mosques undamaged. The modest but well-maintained Jaunpur Fort, built by Feroz Shah in 1360, overlooks the Gomti River. Continue 500m north of here and you come to the Attila Masjid, built in 1408 on the site of a Hindu temple dedicated to Atala Devi. Another 500m north-west is the largest and most impressive of the mosques, the Jama Masjid, built between 1438 and 1478. Other places to see include the Jhanjhri Masjid, the tombs of the Sharqul sultans, the Char Ungil Masjid and the Lal Darwaza Masjid.