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BUDDHIST PLACES IN INDIA
TRAVEL GUIDE
KAPILA KAMARAJ
2013261016
harshini.knv@gmail.com
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.INTRODUCTION
This travel guide book briefs you about all the Buddhist
places in India.
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LUMBINISiddhartha 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 aBuddhist pilgrim centre, where the archaeological
remains associated with the birth of the Lord
Buddha for a central feature. Lumbini is one ofthe holiest places of one of the world's great
religions, and its remains contain important
evidence about the nature of Buddhist pilgrimagecentres 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
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buses to Lumbini from any part of India. So it is more easier to get here
by road
PLACES NEARBY TO REACH LUMBINIPLACE DISTANCE TIME
KUSHINAGAR 70 miles 0.14 hours
DELHI 8764 miles 17 hours
KAPILVASTU 874 miles 1.75 hours
CHITWAN 3702 miles 7 hours
BUDDHA AT LUMBINI
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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 allmajor 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
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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
-10%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE
PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE
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This is the place where Lord Buddha attained enlightment. The tree thathad 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.
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BODHGAYAAt thewestern side of the Mahabodhi
temple is this large and historical Pipal
tree, fiscus religiosa, known throughouthistory 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 ??
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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 Ashokaerected magnificent stupas
and buildings at Sarnath
making it an important
place of pilgrimage.
NEAREST PLACES
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PLACE DISTANCE TIMESANCHI 780 miles 2 hours
DELHI 8909 miles 17 hours
LUCKNOW 168 miles 0.20 hours
LUMBIINI 145miles 0.30 hours
THE STANDING BUDDHAOne 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.
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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.
SANCHIKnown 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 entirevocabulary of later Indian art.
IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT SANCHI:
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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 STUPAThe 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.
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THE GATEWAY
History of Ashoka Pillar :
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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
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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 huntingexpeditions. 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 cavesThese 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.
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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.
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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 andperspective 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.
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