The Holiest places for all the Buddhists in the world  

                                 

  • Place of Birth (Lumbini)

  • Place of Enlightenment (Bodhgaya)

  • Place of Setting the Wheel of Religion in Motion (Saranath)

  • Place Mahaparinirvana (Kushinagar)

PILGRIMAGES SITES NEPAL

KAPILBASTU
Gautama Buddha was born in Lumbini in southern Nepal. Now accessible by road from the southern town of Bhairahawa 13 miles to the east. Lumbini rests on the plains of Kapilavastu, the ancient kingdom of the Sakya clan of rulers. There are numerous buildings of religious significance of Lumbini. A massive stone pillar was erected by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka in 250 BC. The Maya Devi shrine houses a stone sculpture of Buddha's nativity scene and is said to be located in the exact place Buddha was born in a palace garden.  

Tilaurakot was the capital city of the Sakya kingdom now in ruins. This is the place where Lord Buddha spent 29 years of his life before he left the comforts of his palace on the quest of "Nirvana". The area is about 1 sq. miles. In the eastern side we see the remains of the Mahaviniskramana Dwara (the gate from which Buddha departed seeking the Truth, leaving behind all worldly life). There is a museum which at the moment is housing all the archaeological remains excavated from these areas.

The other sites of interest to pilgrims are Dharampaniya, Gotihawa, Kudan, Niglihawa, Ramagriam and Sagarhawa in the Kapilvastu region.  

KATHMANDU VALLEY After the main Buddhist stupas and monasteries of Swoyambhunath and Boudhanath, the following sites for pilgrimage are important
Hiranya Varna Mahavihar
It is located in Patan this "Golden Temple" is, in fact, a monastery. Within the shrine are many images of Gautama Buddha and Avalokiteshwor including a golden frieze depicting the life of Buddha immediately in front of the main shrine. The monastery is actively patronized by Buddhist communities.

Mahaboudha
This architectural masterpiece is intended to be a copy of the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya in India. It is located close to Sundhara (Golden Taps) square in Patan. It was a victim of the great earthquake of 1934 and the reconstruction did not do justice to its formal glory, losing both its beauty and height. Literally translated it is " the temple of the thousand Buddhas" and plays and important part in the daily religious rites of the inhabitants of Patan.

Namobuddha
It is situated atop a hill three hours walk to the south of Panauti, this place is celebrated as the meditation ground of Nama Buddha, one of the Buddha incarnates of ancient times. There is an amazing story concerned with the Buddha which is commemorated by an ancient stone slab and a stupa with all-seeing eyes.

PILGRIMAGES SITES NORTHERN INDIA
How befitting that from the birthplace of Lord Buddha we retrace his footprints to Bodhgaya the holy place in Northern India where he achieved Nirvana or enlightenment.

Bodhgaya is the place where Buddha attained enlightenment. The tree under which Buddha attained wisdom is called the Bodhi tree, while temple marking the sacred spot is known as Mahabodhi temple.

Kushingara is the place where Lord Buddha passed into Mahaparinirvana. Here are a lot of chaityas, stupas and viharas to see. The Muktabandhana stupa is believed to have been built by Malla dynasty to preserve the temporal relics of Lord Buddha. A smaller shrine nearby contains a reclining Buddha which was brought from Mathura by the monk Haribala.

Nalanda: Once a famous Buddhist university, Nalanda came into prominence about the 5th century AD and was a great center of learning for about 700 years Huen Tsang, the well known Chinese traveller, who studied at the university in the 7th century, has left glowing accounts of its activities. It attracted students from all over the India, south-east Asia and China. The ruins of Nalanda lie about 98 kms.(60 miles) southeast of Patan by road.

Rajgir 13 kms.(8 miles) south-west of Nalanda by road, it is an important place of pilgrimage for Buddhists. It was the capital of King Bimbisara in ancient times. The Buddha preached at Rijgir.

Sarnath 8 kms.(5 miles) north of Varanasi Sarnath, where in the Deer Park, Gautam Buddha delivered his first sermon after he received enlightenment. The ruins of monasteries, built more than 2000 years ago, the Dhamok Stupa, the Dharamaraji Ka Stupa and the main shrine draw Buddhist pilgrims yearly to Sarnath.

Sravasti: According to legend Lord Buddha performed a great miracle here and it became one of the important Buddhist centers. It is said Lord Buddha spent 25 rainy season here preaching his gospel.

 

TOUR PROGRAM

 Duration Minimum (Pax)
Holy Buddhist Pilgrimage in NEPAL & INDIA        15 nights / 16 days 04 
Holy Buddhist Pilgrimage in NEPAL 07 nights / 08 days 02 

Buddhist Pilgrimage  in Nepal & North India (11 nights/12 days)
We visit Kathmandu,  Lumbini, Gorkhpur,  Varanasi,  Bodhgaya and Rajgir.
We first visit Lumbini in southern Nepal. Then we cross the international border at Sunauli and enter India and commence our pilgrimage to the important North Indian sites. Then we either fly back to Kathmandu from Varanasi or fly to Delhi to connect with our international flight.

For reservation, quotation, day to day itinerary and further inquiries, please  feel free to contact us.

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