Buddhist Places in India

7/29/2019 Buddhist Places in India

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BUDDHIST PLACES IN INDIA

TRAVEL GUIDE

KAPILA KAMARAJ

2013261016

[email protected]


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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

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0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5

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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Buddhist Places in India