Most Interesting Things of Buddhist Pilgrimage Tour

There are various Buddhist pilgrimage tours you can take in India. They include tours of Buddhist states, cities, temples, caves, and monasteries, apart from attending Buddhist festivals. The best Buddhist pilgrimage tour you can take is a combination of cities, temples, and caves or if that's not possible, then a few cities.

Let's consider the options:

Buddhist cities: For a comprehensive Buddhist tour India, you could begin by visiting Lumbini, at the base of the Himalayas in Nepal, the birthplace of Buddha. From there, you could visit Bodh Gaya, the seat of enlightenment of the Buddha, a must-visit place for all devotees of Buddhism. The Deer Park at Sarnath is also an important Buddhist stop as it was here that the Buddha delivered his first sermon. Located in Varanasi, it is one of the holiest centers of Buddhist teachings.

About 150 km from Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, is the Buddhist town of Shravasti. This was the Buddha's most favorite rainy season stop where he delivered several teachings in the Grove. It is also the site of Buddha's first miracle.

Vaishali was the Buddhist center where the Buddha delivered his last sermon before he died. This place also assumes a lot of significance because, after His death, King Kalasoka convened the second Buddhist council here.

Another important Buddhist center is Kaushambi, a town that Lord Buddha traveled in his sixth year after receiving Enlightenment, near Allahabad. Here too, he delivered several sermons. This place is also important for being the site where Emperor Ashoka erected one of the Ashokan Pillars.

Near Gorakhpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh is the town of Kushinagar where the Master fell ill and passed away. His last memories are found here.

If you want to do something offbeat, but still get the essence of the Buddhism religion, you could visit the various Buddhist caves situated in different parts of India. Speak to an experienced and knowledgeable tour operator about arranging an India Buddhist pilgrimage package for you.

In this package, you can visit:

Ajanta and Ellora Caves: Situated 100 km from Aurangabad, these caves are famous for their paintings, mural paintings, sculptures, monasteries and cave temples depicting scenes from Bodhisattva and the Jataka stories.

Kanheri Caves: These are a group of caves and rock-cut faces excavated into a large basalt projection amid the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Mumbai. Here, you will find several Buddhist sculptures, paintings, relief carvings and inscriptions, dating from BCE times.

Karla Caves: This cave complex contains ancient rock-cut caves, developed between the 2nd century BC and the 5th century AD. They are situated at Lonavala, near Pune, Maharashtra.

Barabar Caves: Situated in Bihar, these caves are distributed between two hills, the Barabar Hills and the Nagarjuni hills. The former has four caves while the latter has three. These rock-cut caves are the oldest surviving ones in India and date back to the Mauryan Empire and bear Ashokan inscriptions.

When it comes to a Buddhist pilgrimage tour package in India, there are several options you can choose from. To know how best a tour can be customized for you, speak to an experienced tour operator - State Express.