Gautam Buddha preached his first sermon at

Gautam Buddha's life is traditionally marked by four major events, each tied to a specific place on the Buddhist pilgrimage circuit: his birth (Lumbini), his enlightenment (Bodh Gaya), his first sermon (Sarnath), and his death or mahaparinirvana (Kushinagar).

After attaining enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, Buddha travelled to the Deer Park at Sarnath, near Varanasi, where he delivered his first sermon to five ascetics who had earlier been his companions. This event is known as the Dharmachakra Pravartana, or the 'turning of the wheel of dharma'. Sarnath is therefore the place where Buddha preached his first sermon.

• Lumbini marks Buddha's birth, an earlier event in his life, not his first sermon.

• Bodh Gaya (Gaya) marks his enlightenment, which preceded the first sermon at Sarnath.

• Prayag (Allahabad), at the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna, is not associated with any of the four major events of Buddha's life.