BUDDHIST PLACES IN INDIA

TRAVEL GUIDE

KAPILA KAMARAJ 2013261016 harshini.knv@gmail.com

INTRODUCTION

This travel guide book briefs you about all the Buddhist places in India.

LUMBINI
Siddhartha Gauthama, the Lord Buddha was born in 623 B.C in the famous gardens of Lumbini, which soon became a place of pilgrimage. Among the pilgrims was the emperor Ashoka, who erected one of his commemorative pillars there. This site is now being developed as a Buddhist pilgrim centre, where the archaeological remains associated with the birth of the Lord Buddha for a central feature Lumbini is one of the holiest places of one of the world's great religions, and its remains contain important evidence about the nature of Buddhist pilgrimage centres from as early as the 3rd century BC. Lumbini is situated at the foothills of the Himalayas in modern Nepal. In the Buddha's time, Lumbini was a beautiful garden full of green and shady Sal trees (Shorea).

LUMBINI

HOW TO GET HERE???

There are many ways to get to Lumbini. You can go by rail, air or by road. The easiest way to get here is by road. There are frequent

buses to Lumbini from any part of India. So it is more easier to get here by road

PLACES NEARBY TO REACH LUMBINI PLACE KUSHINAGAR DELHI KAPILVASTU CHITWAN DISTANCE 70 miles 8764 miles 874 miles 3702 miles TIME 0.14 hours 17 hours 1.75 hours 7 hours

BUDDHA AT LUMBINI

KAPILVASTU
The little village of Piprahwa is a very important Buddhist pilgrimage, since Lord Buddha had spent his first twenty-nine years of life in this region. Kapilavastu was the capital of the Shakya kingdom, and Buddha was born to king Shuddhodhana. He grew up amidst luxury and shunned away from miseries of life. The miseries and the care of the people affected spiritual minded Buddha and he decided to find a way out to end these miserable conditions of human life. That led to the birth of the worlds greatest religions known as BUDDHISM.

The village has a mystic charm, the magic of which can be felt through devoted mind and dedication. However, there are many stupas scattered around the place, built by Ashoka and the Gupta Kings. The symbols left behind by the Sakya dynasty are clearly visible here; moreover, there are relics of Lord Buddha himself.

How to reach
Air: The best way to reach Kushinagar by air
is through Kathmandu airport. Regular buses are ply to kapilvastu from Kathmandu. However Kapilvastu can also be reached through Varanasi (India), connected through many flights with all major cities of India.

Rail: Siddhartha Nagar, at a distance of 20km, is the nearest railhead, connected to major destination in india. However, Gorakhpur could be the choice of most, being a well-known railway junction

Road: Good motorable road exists which connect Kapilvastu to major destinations in Nepal. Private buses and Taxis are available from all major cities like Varanasi and Lucknow in UttarPradesh.

TRANSPORT PREFERED BY PEOPLE

PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE
70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% -10% 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5

PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE

This is the place where Lord Buddha attained enlightment. The tree that had sheltered him came to be known as the Bhodi Tree and the place Bodhgaya. Today Bodhgaya, an important place of pilgrimage, has a number of monasteries. Places of great interest are The Bodhi Tree, Mahabodhi Temple, and monasteries, Magadh University.

BODHGAYA
At the western side of the Mahabodhi temple is this large and historical Pipal tree, fiscus religiosa, known throughout history as Bodhi tree, under which Lord Buddha ataained enlightenment about 2500 years. For seven days after the enlightenment, Buddha continued to meditate under the tree without moving from his seat. Another week passed in walking meditation, and for a third the Buddha contemplated under the Bodhi tree.

The Bodhi tree

WHERE TO STAY ??

There are many facilities to make up here. Here is a list of few hotels at very low cost. Hotel Om International. Hotel Lumbini International. Bodhgaya Regency Hotel. Hotel Vishal International. Hotel Buddha international.

SARNATH
After his enlightenment, Lord Buddha came to the deer park in sarnath and shared his new understandings with five holy men. In later times, the Emperor Ashoka erected magnificent stupas and buildings at Sarnath making it an important place of pilgrimage. NEAREST PLACES

PLACE
SANCHI

DISTANCE
780 miles 8909 miles 168 miles 145miles

TIME
2 hours 17 hours 0.20 hours 0.30 hours

DELHI
LUCKNOW LUMBIINI

THE STANDING BUDDHA

One of the main attractions of sarnath is the 80 ft high statue of Buddha. It is Indias largest standing statue of Lord Buddha. It took k14 years to build this statue. The work on the statue was started in 1997 and was unveiled in 2011. The standing statue of Buddha is located in the premises of The Buddha Vihar in Saranath.

HOW TO REACH THIS SITE The statue is located just near the ASI museum at Saranath, which is well-connected with Varanasi city, one can travel to the place by auto-richshaw, bus, bicycle, bike, rickshaw, or taxi.

SANCHI Known as the masterpiece of Buddhist art, Sanchi is known foe the stupas, monasteries temples and pillars dating from 3rd century BC to the 12th century AD carved with the stories of Buddhas past and present. The gateways are the finest specimen of early classical art which formed the seedbed for the entire vocabulary of later Indian art.
IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT SANCHI:

The Great Stupa No.1- 36.5mts in diameter and 16.4 mts high it is one of the oldest stone structures in India. With a massive hemispherical dome, the stupa stands majestically. The paved procession path around it has become smooth by centuries of pilgrim's visit. Built originally as an earthen stupa by the Emperor Ashoka, it was rebuilt in the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC.

THE SANCHI STUPA

HISTORY OF THE STUPA
The Southern Gateway: Reveals the birth of Gautam in a series of dramatically rich carvings. The southern Gateway: crowned by a wheel of law, illustrates the miracle associated with the Buddha as told in the Jataka tales. The Eastern Gateway, depicts the young prince, Gautam, leaving his father's place, renouncing worldly life to seek enlightenment .The inner face of the right pillar portrays the dream of Maya, the mother of Buddha, when she conceived him. The Western Gateway depicts the Seven incarnations of the Buddha, four represented by trees and three by stupas; the Buddha preaching his first sermon at the Deer Park, Sarnath and the Chhaddanta Jataka tale.

THE GATEWAY
History of Ashoka Pillar :

The Ashoka Pillar erected in the 3rd century B.C. consists of a shaft and a crown of four lions that stand back to back. It is rather unfortunate but the total Ashoka Pillar does not stand here now. The shaft of the pillar can only be seen at the gateway and the crown has been kept in the museum.The figure of these lions was later adopted as he National Emblem of India.

The remains of ashok pillar

THE AJANTA AND ELLORA CAVES

The Ajanta Caves (7540 N; 2030 E) are situated at a distance of 107 km north of Aurangabad, the district headquarters. The caves attained the name from a nearby village named Ajanta located about 12KM.. These caves were discovered by an Army Officer in the Madras Regiment of the British Army in 1819 during one of his hunting expeditions. Instantly the discovery became very famous and Ajanta attained a very important tourist destination in the world. The caves, famous for its murals, are the finest surviving examples of Indian art, particularly painting.

The Ajanta and ellora caves

These caves are excavated in horseshoe shaped bend of rock surface nearly 76 m in height overlooking a narrow stream known as Waghora. The location of this valley provided a calm and serene environment for the Buddhist monks who retreated at these secluded places during the rainy seasons.

GETTING TO THE AJANTA AND ELLORA CAVES

The closest railway stations are in Aurangabad for the Ellora caves (45 mins away) and Jalgaon for the Ajanta caves (1.5 hours away). Theres also an airport in Aurangabad. Its possible to hire a car and drive between the two cave sites. Traveling time is around 2 hours.
AJANTA AND ELLORA CAVES OPENING HOURS:

The Ajanta caves are closed on Mondays, and the Ellora caves are closed on Tuesdays. Both caves are open on national holidays. However, try to avoid visiting then as the crowds can be maddening and you won't have a peaceful experience.
AJANTA AND ELLORA FESTIVALS

The four day Ellora Ajanta Festival is held at Soneri Mahal (Golden Palace), an historic 17th century architectural marvel in Aurangabad near Ellora, in the last week of November each year. The festival features some of the most distinguished singers and dancers of India.

AJANTA AND ELLORA CAVES TRAVEL TIPS

The most incredible thing about these caves is that they weere cafted by hand, with only hammer and chisel. While the ajanta caves are rich in paintings and sculpture, the ellora caves are renowned for their extraordinary architecture. You can get an excellent view and perspective of inside the Kailasa temple by climbing up the hill around it. Its immense size covers twice the area of the Pantheon in Athens and is one and a half times as high. Bring a torch with you to the Ajnata caves as many of them are quite dark and lighting is poor. The best time

to visit is from November to March when its cooler and dry.