India is one of the countries bedecked with abundance of Buddhist places. This is the same place where mighty “Lord Buddha” spent most of his life’s moment in the ancient time hence the presence of his footsteps could easily be felt by visitors during the visit of those places. If you want to move across the excursion of those places then we are here to help you.

Buddhist places at a glance

1- Bodhgaya : This is the same place where Prince Gautama now known as Lord Buddha attained the enlightenment sitting under the hallowed Asvatta tree (Bodhi tree) and actually became Gautama to Lord Buddha. It is believed to be the most sacred pilgrimage places for pilgrims especially for Buddhists. It’s a place that would root consciousness of the nature of impermanence during the visit.

It is believed that Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) resided on the banks of the Nairanjana River along with his five most known followers for six years to practice austerities then later his five companions appalled at his seeming failure and left for Sarnath abandoning Buddha’s company.

Major Pilgrimage attractions of Bodhgaya

• Mahabodhi Temple
• Bodhi Tree
• Vajrasana
• Chankaramana
• Ratnagiri
• Arimeshlochana

How to reach Bodhgaya?

By Train : Gaya Junction is the nearest railhead that is just 13 km away from Bodh Gaya and connected to major cities in state. You can easily reach at the station catching taxi.

By Air : Airport in Gaya is about 13 km away from city center. It’s a domestic airport connected to the metro city Calcutta with limited frequency. From Calcutta you can easily connect abroad countries.

By Bus : BSTDC ply regular buses from Patna to Bodhgaya. Gaya can easily be connected to Nalanda, Patna, Varanasi and Rajgir.

2- Lumbini : Lumbini is the most sacred Buddhist pilgrimage destination that is mostly visited by every Buddhist pilgrim. This is the same place where great Lord Buddha -the apostle of peace and the light of Asia was born in 623 B.C. It is situated in Nepal, not in India but can easily be connected by train without any hassle. Lumbini along with its surroundings is loaded with rich natural setting of domestic fauna and sympathetic agricultural environment

Major Pilgrimage attractions of Lumbini

• The Ashokan Pillar
• Puskarni - The Sacred Pool
• Sanctum-Sanctorum of the Birthplace
• Image of Maya Devi
• The Buddhist Temple

How to reach Lumbini?

By Air : The nearest Airport is Bhairahawa that is also known as Sidhhartha Nagar is just 22km. From here you can catch many flights to Kathmandu.

By Rail : The nearest railway station is Nautanwa but trains are infrequent on this line but alternatively you can take taxi right from the border crossing at Sunauli to Gorakhpur that takes only two hours.

By Bus : Buses ply the route between Sunauli (from stop across from Hotel Yeti) and Lumbini. instead, one can take a shared jeep to Bhairahawa (4 kilometers) followed by a bus to Lumbini from the Nepal side of the border.

3-Sarnath : Located at just 10 km of distance from Varanasi (India) is the site where Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon to his five disciples, preaching the middle path to attain Nirvana. This is here when emperor Ashoka realized the sanctity of this site and got constructed Sarnath Temple in the 3rd century B.C. Tourism in Sarnath is on its peak and one should not miss it during the visit.

Major Pilgrimage attractions of Sarnath

• Dhamekha Stupa
• Choukhandi' Stupa
• The Digambara Jain Temple
• Buddhist Temples
• Mulagandhakuti Vihara
• Sarnath Archeological Museum

How to reach Sarnath?

By Air : Varanasi is the nearest airport that is just 24KM from Sarnath. Commercial flights connect to the major cities like- Kathmandu, Delhi, Agra and Mumbai.

By Train : The nearest major station is Varanasi Cantt. (6 km) that is conveniently connected to all the major cities of the country like- Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta, Chennai etc. Sarnath itself has a small railhead but very few trains stop here.

By Bus : It is situated at National Highway No. 29 that is connected with Varanasi and Gorakhpur.

4-Kushinagar : Kushinagar is one of the principal pilgrimage Buddhist centers of Mahaparinrvana. The founder of Buddhism, Lord Buddha took his last breath here on the land of this city near the Hiranyavati River and attained Nirvana and in last cremated at the Ramabhar stupa. The credit of bringing this sacred site in light goes to General A. Cunningham and A.C.I. Carlyl who actually explored this site during excavation in 1861. One believes in Buddhism should not forget to take the trip of this amazing sacred city.

Major pilgrimage attractions in Kushinagar

• Nirvana Stupa
• Nirvana Temple
• Mathakuar Shrine
• Ramabhar Stupa
• Japanese Garden
• Buddha Vihar
• Wat Thai Temple
• Birla Temple

How to reach Kushinagar?

By Air : The closest Airport is Gorakhpur that is just 45 kilometers from Kushinagar there is a infrequent flight service to other cities of India so better option is to use other alternatives.

By Train : The closest railhead is Gorakhpur Junction that is 51 kilometers from the main city Kushinagar. Beside, Gorakhpur is also the headquarters of North Eastern Railways and also connected to major destinations of India. One can easily connect to Gorakhpur from the major cities of India like- Mumbai, Delhi, Cochin, Barauni, Kolkata, Lucknow, Agra and Jaipur etc.

By Bus : Kushinagar is situated on the National Highways 28 hence connected to the all major parts of the state. Buses from here ply to all close as well as far-flung destination of India like- Varanasi, Lucknow, Kanpur, Patna, Jhansi and Gorakhpur etc.

Other Buddhist places in India include-

• Nalanda
• Vaishali
• Rajgir
• Shravasti
• Kaushambi

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