Buddhist Pilgrimage Tour
Duration: 11 Nights / 12 Days
Destinations Covered:Delhi - Agra - Varanasi - Bodhgaya - Nalanda -
Rajgir - Patna- Vashali - Kushinagar - Lumbini - Balrampur - Lucknow
DAY -1: Delhi
Arrive DELHI. Meet on arrival by company representatives. Proceed to hotel
and relax. Overnight at Delhi.
DAY-2: Agra
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.
DAY-3: Agra - Varanasi (by AIR)
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.
Reach and proceed to Sarnath.
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'.
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
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.
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.
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.
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 : 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)
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.
Buddhist Pilgrimage Tour, Pilgrimage Tour Packages
Reservation Form
All rights reserved by North India Holidays 
