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India
- the land to travel to, a haven of tourism delights,
a civilization to tour through. Tourists come to India
for its wealth of sights, cultural exuberance,
diversity of terrain and in search of that special
something, an extra punch that only India promises and
delivers. Teeming with over a billion people who voice
over a million concerns in fifteen hundred different
languages, India is where people live with variety,
thrive on diversity and are too familiar with
largeness to let it boggle them. Mud huts and mansions
face off across city streets. Lurid luxury and limp
living are inhabitants of the same lane.
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Buddhist Temple Tour |
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Tour
Duratation |
11
Nights / 12 Days |
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Places to be covered |
Delhi
- Agra - Varanasi - sarnath - Bodhgaya - Nalanda -
Rajgir - Patna - Vashali - Kushinagar - Lumbini -
Balrampur - Lucknow - Delhi |
DAY 1:-
Delhi
Arrive DELHI. Meet on arrival by company
representatives. Proceed to hotel and relax.
DELHI, the capital of kingdoms and empires is
now a sprawling metropolis with a fascinating
blend of the past and the present. It is a
perfect introduction to the composite culture
of an ancient land. A window to the
kaleidoscope - that is India.
Overnight at Delhi.
DAY 2:- Agra
Book this Tour
Early morning proceed to Agra by Shatabdi
Express Train. Breakfast to be served in the
train. Upon arrival transfer to Hotel.
Afternoon sightseeing of the Taj and Fort.
Badal Singh established the city of Taj in
1475. Agra finds mention in the Mahabharat as
Agraban. This city in those days was
considered to be the sister-city of Mathura,
which was more prominent than Agraban. Agra
came into its own when the Lodhi Kings chose
this place beside the RIVER YAMUNA to be their
capital city. Sikander Lodhi made Agra his
capital but Babar defeated the Lodhis to
capture not only Agra but also laid the
foundation of the Mughal empire.
In the Mid 16th century and earlier 17th
century Agra witnessed a frenzied building
activity and it was during this time when the
symbol of love Taj Mahal was built. The
buildings made during this era were purely in
the contemporary Mughal style and of very high
quality. The same is still reflected in
whatever monuments remain in Agra. The narrow
lanes of Agra filled with aroma of Mughlai
cuisine, the craftsman who are busy in crating
master pieces with their skill all remind of
the Mughal royalty which this city had once
experienced. Today whatever remains, has
become a major tourist attraction which has
taken Agra again to the heights of glory but
this time as a major tourist destination of
India.
Visit the TAJ MAHAL - one of the Seven
Wonders of the World was built by Shah Jahan
in 1631 AD and was completed in 1651AD. Taj
Mahal - The symbol of Love was built in the
memory of Mumtaz Mahal (Shah Jahan' s second
Wife).
AGRA FORT - Built by the famed Mughal
emperor Akbar in 1565 AD, the fort is
predominantly of red sandstone. Ensconced
within is the picture perfect Pearl Mosque,
which is a major tourist attraction.
After Agra Fort we will visit BABY TAJ
- The interiors of which are considered better
than the Taj.
DAY 3:- Agra - Varanasi
After breakfast drive to Fatehpur Sikri and
visit the Bulund Darwaza.
The deserted, red Sandstone City, Emperor
Akbar built that as his capital and palace in
the late 16th century is an exhilarating
experience. It a veritable fairytale city and
its "ruins" are in pristine condition ... it's
not hard to imagine what the court life must
have been like in the days of its grandeur.
Also visit the Bulund Darwaza, the largest
gateway in the world.
Transfer to airport for flight to Varanasi.
Arrive Varanasi and visit Sarnath.
VARANASI IS THE WORLD'S MOST ANCIENT LIVING
CITY. SUNRISE ON THE RIVERFRONT, AS SEEN FROM
A BOAT, CAN BE SPIRITUALLY UPLIFTING SIGHT.
CROWDED WITH TEMPLES, AND ITS LABYRINTH OF
STREETS, THE CITY ATTRACTS THE MAXIMUM NUMBER
OF TOURISTS. THE RELIGIOUS CAPITAL OF
HINDUISM, VARANASI IS THE CARPET MANUFACTURING
PLACE OF INDIA. IT WAS PREVIOUSLY KNOWN AS
KASHI - THE CITY THAT ILLUMINATES. THE PRESENT
NAME IS DERIVED FROM THE FACT THAT THE CITY IS
AT THE CONFLUENCE OF THE RIVERS VARUNA AND ASI.
Reach and proceed to Sarnath.
Sarnath - 5 miles out of Varanasi for a
day excursion:
One of the holiest Buddhist sites in the
world, where Buddha preached his first Sermon
in 590 BC. Witness the ruins of a once
flourishing Buddhist monastery and then visit
a fine Museum which houses an excellent
collection of Buddhist art and sculptures
found at the site.
Overnight at Varanasi. VNS - HOTEL HINDUSTAN
INTERNATIONAL.
DAY 4:- Varanasi - Bodhgaya.
Morning boat ride on the Sacred River Ganges
to rituals performed by priests and devotees.
Half day guided tour of Varanasi including the
Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Gyanvapi Mosque and
Benaras Hindu University. After lunch proceed
for Bodhgaya.
Bodhgaya is one of the sacred places for the
Buddhists as well as for the Hindus. Here
under the Bodhi Tree, Gautama attained supreme
knowledge to become Budhha, the `Enlighted
One'.
"The Buddha once lived here"
Lord Buddha the gentle colossus who founded
the first universal religion of the world,
worked and lived much of his life in Bihar
though he was born in Kapilavastu, now in
Nepal. Most of the major events of his life,
like enlightenment and last sermon happened in
Bihar. Significantly. the state's name
originated from 'Vihara' meaning Buddhist and
Jain monasteries, which abounded in Bihar.
Though the Buddha was born as a Sakya prince
in the Terai foothills of the Himalayas,
Buddhism as a religion was really born in
Bihar and evolved here through his preaching
and the example of his lifestyle of great
simplicity, renunciation and empathy for
everything living. Perhaps the present day
life of trauma and tension reminds us of the
other alternative that was always available to
us, the Buddha's way of life, gentle and
simple.
Several centuries after Buddha's passing away,
the Maurya emperor Ashoka (234-198 BC)
contributed tremendously towards the revival,
consolidation and spread of the original
religion. It is the monasteries Ashoka built
for the Buddhist monks and the pillars erected
to commemorate innumerable historical sites
associated with the Buddha's life, mostly
intact to this day, that helped scholars and
pilgrims alike to trace the life events and
preachings of a truly extraordinary man.
The Buddha attained enlightenment in Bodhgaya,
under the Bodhi tree, 10 km from Gaya. the
ancient Hindu pilgrimage centre. The tree from
the original sapling still stands in the
temple premises. It is the most important
Buddhist Pilgrimage Tour centre as Buddhisrn
was born here.
The magnificent Mahabodhi temple in Bodhgaya
is an architectural amalgamation of many
centuries cultures and many heritages that
came to pay their homage here. The temple
definitely has architecture of the Gupta and
later ages, inscriptions describing visits of
pilgrims from Sri Lanka, Myanmar and China
between 7th and 10th century AD. It is perhaps
still the same temple Hiuen Tsang visited in
7th century.
Overnight at Bodhgaya. B'GAYA - LOTUS NIKKO
B'GAYA / SUJATA
Morning after an early breakfast proceed to
Bodhgaya. Packed lunch to be served.
DAY 5:- Bodhgaya
Book this Tour
Sightseeing of Maha Bodhi Temple and Tree.
Visit the Chinese Temple. In the afternoon
visit Niranjana Temple and River. Visit the
school of the destitute. Lunch and dinner at
Bodhgaya. Overnight at Bodhgaya. B'GAYA -
LOTUS NIKKO B'GAYA / SUJATA
DAY 6:- Bodhgaya - Nalanda - Rajgir -
Patna
Early morning proceed to visit the historical
towns of Nalanda & Rajgir. Have lunch at
Rajgir. Proceed to Patna after lunch.
Overnight at Patna. PATNA ASHOKA.
NALANDA - Nalanda, where ruins of the great
ancient university have been excavated, is
situated at a distance of 90 km. south east of
Patna by road. It falls on way to Rajgir. It
is also linked by rail with Patna, Rajgir and
Bakhtiyarpur (on Delhi-Howrah main track).
Hieun Tsang, the renowned Chinese traveller of
the seventh century, says that according to
tradition the place owed its name to a Naga of
the same name which resided in a local tank.
But he thinks it more probable that Lord
Buddha, in one of his previous births as
Bodhisatwa, became a king with his capital at
this place and that his liberality won for him
and his capital the name Nalanda or "Charity
without intermission". The third theory about
the name of the place is that it derived from
Nalam plus da. Nalam means lotus which is a
symbol for knowledge and Da means given the
place had many lotuses.
Nalanda has a very ancient history. It was
frequently visited by Lord Vardhamana Mahavir
and Lord Buddha in the 6th century BC. during
his sajourns, the Lord Buddha found this place
prosperous, swelling, teeming with population
and containing mango-groves. It is also
supposed to be the birth place of Sariputra,
one of the Chief disciple of the Lord Buddha.
RAJGIR - The Buddha lived in the sixth century
BC. Mahavir was born in 567 BC and the
traveller in Bihar will encounter them both
constantly. Rajgir is 10km south of Nalanda
and sacred to the memory of the founder of
both Buddhism and Jainism. Lord Buddha spent
many months of retreat during the rainy season
here, and used to meditate and preach on
Griddhkuta, the 'Hill of the Vultures'. Lord
Mahavir spent fourteen years of his life at
Rajgir and Nalanda. It was in Rajgriha that
Lord Buddha delivered some of his famous
sermons and converted king Bimbisara of the
Magasha Kingdom and countless others to his
creed. Once a great city, Rajgir is just a
village today, but vestiges of a legendary and
historical past remain, like the cyclopean
wall that encircles the town and the marks
engraved in rock that local folklore ascribes
to Lord Krishna's chariot. This legend, like
many others associates Rajgir to that distant
time when the stirring events recorded in the
epic Mahabharata were being enacted. Rajgir is
located in a verdant valley surrounded by
rocky hills.
An aerial ropeway provides the link with a
hill-top stupa "Peace Pagoda" built by the
Japanese. On one of the hills in the cave of
Saptparni, was held the first Buddhist
Council. The Saptparni cave is also the source
of the Rajgir Hot Water Springs that have
curative properties and are sacred to the
Hindus.
Patna, the capital city of Bihar, is a
historical city, which has like Delhi,
experienced the trauma and pain of being
conquered. The heritage of Patna or
Pataliputra as it was known, goes back to two
millennia. This city was the seat of
administration for many rulers and each of
them ascended with a new name for their
capital.
Kusumpura became Pushpapura, Patliputra,
Azeemabad and now Patna. Pataliputra was the
capital of Magadha, a kingdom, which dominated
and influenced the politics of India for a
long time. Located on the banks where rivers
Sone and Ganga merge, this city has witnessed
the rules of Chanakya, Chandragupta, Ashoka
and the Nanda rulers
DAY 7:- Patna - Vaishali - Kushinagar
Explore the side where Buddha was cremated and
visit Mahaparinirvana Temple. Overnight at
Kushinagar.
KUSHINAGAR - LOTUS NIKKO
VAISHALI - Vaishali has a past that pre-dates
recorded history. It is held that the town
derives its name from King Vishal, whose
heroic deeds are narrated in the Hindu epic
Ramayana. However, history records that around
the time Pataliputra was the centre of
political activity in the Gangetic plains,
Vaishali came into existence as centre of the
Ganga, it was the seat of the Republic of
Vajji. Vaishali is credited with being the
World's First Republic to have a duly elected
assembly of representatives and efficient
administration.
The Lord Buddha visited Vaishali more than
once during his lifetime and announced his
approaching Mahaparinirvana to the great
followers he had here.
Hundred years after he attained
Mahaparinirvana, it was the venue of the
second Buddhist Council. According to one
belief, the Jain Tirthankar, Lord Mahavir was
born at Vaishali. The Chinese travellers
Fa-Hien and Hieun Tsang also visited this
place in early 5th and 7th centuries
respectively and wrote about Vaishali.
While talking of the famous men and women
associated with Vaishali, Amrapali was the
cynosure not only of Vaishali but of the
neighbouring kingdoms as well.
Therefore, to avert bloodshed, the parliament
of Vaishali declared her to be a Court dancer
besides consigning her to lifelong
spinsterhood. Later she became a devout
Buddhist and served the Lord Buddha.
KUSHINAGAR - The Buddha is believed to have
breathed his last in this land with pastoral
surrounding, the small hamlet of Kushinagar,
53 km west of Gorakhpur. The land is venerated
as the site of the Buddha's Mahaparinirvana,
his death and cremation, that marked his final
liberation from the cycles of death and
rebirth.
This small town in the former kingdom of the
Mallas was surrounded by dense forest. It
remained oblivous to the outside world until
it was rediscovered by the archaeologists in
the nineteenth century.
The modern Indo-Japan-srilanka Buddhist
centre, Kushinagar is rediscovering its roots,
and is home to many viharas, including a
Tibetan gompa devoted to Sakyamuni, a Burmese
vihara, and temples from China and Japan.
DAY 8:- Kushinagar - Lumbini
BY ROAD. Proceed after breakfast. Reach and
sightseeing.
The birthplace of the Gautama Buddha, Lumbini,
is the Mecca of every Buddhist, being one of
the four holy places of Buddhism. Buddha
himself identified four places of future
pilgrimage: the sites of his birth,
enlightenment, first discourse, and death.
Hence the birth of Gautam Buddha makes it one
of the most sacred places in the world. The
Sal tree where Siddhartha was born is
difficult to locate now. But Ashoka, in the
21st year of his reign visited the forest and
raised a pillar on the spot where Siddhartha
was born.
The Mayadevi Temple : This Mayadevi
temple dedicated to the mother of the Buddha
has been digged out and restored. The temple
has a stone artifact depicting the nativity of
the Buddha. Maya Devi, his mother, gave birth
to the child on her way to her parent's home
in Devadaha while taking rest in Lumbini under
a Sal tree in the month of May in the year 642
BC. The beauty of Lumbini is described in Pali
and Sanskrit literature. Maya Devi- it is said
was spellbound to see the natural splendor of
Lumbini. While she was standing, she felt
labor pains and catching hold of a drooping
branch of a Sal tree, the baby, the future
Buddha, was born.
Overnight at LUMBINI - NIRVANA / PAWAN
DAY 9:- Lumbini - Balrampur
By road, Sight seeing of Shravasti visit :
Saheth & Maheth BALARAMPUR LOTUS NIKKO
During the time of Sakyamuni, a rich and pious
merchant named Sudatta lived in Sravasti.
While on a visit to Rajgir, he heard the
Buddha's sermon and decided to become the
Lord's disciple. But he was caught in a
dilemma and asked the Lord whether he could
become a follower without forsaking worldly
life. To his query, the Buddha replied that it
was enough that he followed his vocation in a
righteous manner.
Sudatta invited the Buddha to Sravasti
and began to look for a suitable place to
build a vihara. A beautiful park at the
southern edge of Sravasti attracted his
attention. The park belonged to Jeta, son of
King Prasenjit of Sravasti. Jeta demanded that
Sudatta cover the entire park with gold coins.
Sudatta painstakingly paved every inch of the
land with gold. Then Jeta said that since the
trees were left uncovered they belonged to
him. But finally, he had a change of heart and
donated valuable wood to build the vihara. The
park came to be known as Jetavana Vihara in
recognition of Prince Jeta's donation to the
sangh.
Buddha spent 25 years living in the monastery
of Jetavana. Many Vinaya rules, Jatakas and
Sutras were first discussed at this place. The
Buddha is supposed to have astonished rival
teachers by performing miracles at Sravasti.
It is said that it was in Sravasti that the
Buddha transformed Angulimal from a dacoit
into a Buddhist monk. He also delivered many
important sermons here. King Ashoka erected
two pillars 21 meters high on either side of
the eastern gateway of the Jetavana monastery.
Sravasti was a flourishing center of learning
during the Gupta period. When the famed
Chinese traveler Hiuen Tsang visited this
site, he found several damaged stupas and
ruins of monasteries and a palace.
Sravasti has two villages, Sahet and Mahet.
From the Balrampur-Sravasti road one can enter
Sahet, which is spread over an area of 400
acres and has a number of ruins. A little
north of Sahet, towards the Rapti River, is
the ancient fortified city of Mahet. The
entrance to the mud fortification of Mahet is
constructed in a beautiful crescent shape.
Though an ancient structure, its five gates
and walls are still visible. Pakki Kuti,
Kuchhi Kuti and many other stupas tell the
story of the great monasteries that once stood
here.
Remnants of Jetavana, a splendid monastery
with inscriptions dating back to the 12th
century, is thought to be one of the favourite
sites of the Buddha. Emperor Ashoka is also
said to have visited this site. There is a
sacred pipal tree here, which is a sapling
from the original Maha Bodhi tree under which
the Buddha had attained nirvana. Today,
Jetavana has two monasteries, six temples and
five stupas. One temple was built by the monk
Ananthapindika and called Gandhakuti. This is
the most sacred temple in Jetavana since the
Buddha is believed to have lived at this spot.
Sravasti was also under the influence of Lord
Mahavira the last Jain Tirthankar, and the
splendid Shwetambara temple here attracts
thousands of Jain pilgrims. The Sobhnath
Temple is believed to the birthplace of the
Jain Tirthankar Sambhavnath.
DAY 10:- Balrampur - Lucknow
Reach and sight Seeing : explore this royal
city of Nawabs.
Lucknow is caught in a time warp. It exists in
an in-between land of the past and the present
looking back constantly to the memories of a
colonial-Nawabi past. There is at the same
time a sense of pride at the thought of being
after Delhi, the most important center of
power in free India. Politics has indeed been
Lucknow's forte but culture has been its
historical identification.
Despite the Indo-Persian legacy, Lucknow has a
composite Indian culture. The welding of
various cultural strains nurtured by centuries
of Mughal and later Delhi Sultanate rule, to
the folk traditions of the Indo-Gangetic
plains has produced a complex, yet rich
synthesis. The Urdu language acquired its
baffling phonetic nuances and suave perfection
here. It was in Nawab Wajed Ali Shah's court
that the most advanced of all classical Indian
dance forms, the Kathak, took shape. The
popular Parsi theatre originated from the Urdu
theatre of this city. The tabla and the sitar
were first heard on the streets of Lucknow.
LUCKNOW - PARK PLAZA
DAY 11:- Lucknow - Delhi
Book this Tour
By Shatabdi Express (1545 - 2145).
Arrive Delhi and check in at hotel.
DELHI: Full day tour of Old & New Delhi, Visit
Raj Ghat, Jama Masjid, Red Fort, Humayun's
Tomb, India Gate, Parliament House, Lotus
Temple, Shantivan, Laxmi Narayan Temple. Relax
in the evening. Proceed for day tour of Old &
New Delhi. (0900 HRS)
OLD DELHI - A sightseeing tour of Old
Delhi would entail visiting the Raj Ghat - the
memorial site where Mahatma Gandhi was
cremated; Jama Masjid - the largest mosque in
India and the Red Fort - once the most opulent
fort and palace of the Moghul Empire.
Cycle rickshaw ride from Jama Masjid to
Chandni Chowk.
NEW DELHI - An extensive sightseeing
tour of New Delhi would include a visit to the
Humayun's Tomb, the Qutub Minar, a drive along
the ceremonial avenue - Rajpath, past the
imposing India Gate, Parliament House, the
President's Residence and would end with a
drive through the Diplomatic Enclave.
Overnight at Delhi.
DAY 12:- Delhi - Park
DELHI - Free to explore city and last minute
shopping. Check out in the evening and proceed
for The Dances of India Show. Have dinner then
transfer to Airport for flight home. |
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