Things to do in  Varanasi District

Emperor Ashoka, the last major emperor of India's Mauryan dynasty, created the Pillars of Ashoka in the third century BC and scattered them across northern India and Nepal. These tall sandstone pillars celebrate tenets of Buddhism. The lion-topped Sarnath Pillar is the most famous. It is the national emblem of India, and you can see it at Sarnath Museum, near Varanasi.