Maha Parinirvan Train

Buddhist ideology does not advocate the practice of worshipping a creator God. Hence, quite often it is not really seen as a religion in the normal sense. The basic tenets of Buddhist teaching are straight forward and practical: nothing is fixed or permanent; actions have consequences; change is possible. It teaches practical methods (such as meditation) which enable people to realise and utilise its teachings in order to transform their experience, to be fully responsible for their lives and to develop the qualities of Wisdom and Compassion.

There are over 360 million buddhists followers from all parts of the world. They follow many different forms of Buddhism, but all traditions are characterised by non-violence, lack of dogma, tolerance of differences, and, usually, by the practice of meditation.
Having attained enlightenment we shall have all the necessary qualities - universal love and compassion, omniscient wisdom and boundless spiritual power - to lead all living beings to the same exalted state. This is the ultimate aim of Mahayana Buddhism.

India being the country of birth for Gautam Buddha, figures as one of the most important place in buddhism.

Day 01 - : Delhi Depart to Gaya

Dep. Delhi (Delhi-Safdarjung Station)for Gaya- Onboard dinner.

Day 02 : Gaya To Bodhgaya

Arrive Gaya - Hotel Check-in – B/F. Visit Bodhgaya Temples – Lunch. Dinner at Hotel & Overnight stay.

As the place of the Buddha's Enlightenment, Bodhgaya is the spiritual home of Buhddhists. It attracts tens of thousands of believers from all over the world. Bodhgaya situated near the river Niranjana, is one of the holiest Buddhist pilgrimage centres since it was here that Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree.

The population of this town is 22,000 and is situated at an altitude of 113 m. Maximum temperature in summer rises to 45-47 degree Celsius and minimum is 27 degree, while in winter maximum is 28 degree and minimum is 4 degree. It receives an annual rainfall of 1,860 mm. Most countries with vast Buddhist population have a temple or monastery here. The 25 m Great Buddha Statue in the Japanese Kamakura style was unveiled by his holiness Dalai Lama in 1989.

Bodhgaya is 12 km from Gaya, 140 km from Patna, 66 km from Rajgir and 482 km from Calcutta.

Day 03 - Rajgir,Nalanda

B/F – Dep. for Rajgir – Nalanda. Lunch – Dinner – Dep. Gaya for Varanasi.

Rajgir, which means 'house of the king', was the ancient capital city of the Magadha kings until the 5th century BC when Ajatsatru moved the capital to Pataliputra. Forty-six km from Bodhgaya, the town is sacred to the memory of the founders of both Buddhism and Jainism and houses historical remains like the cyclopean wall and marks engraved in rocks.

Location and History The Buddha lived in the sixth century BC Mahavir was born in 567 BC and the traveller in Bihar will encounter them both constantly. Rajgir is 10 kms. south of Nalanda and sacred to the memory of the founder of both Buddhism and Jainism Lord Buddha spent many months of retreat during the rainy season here, and use to meditate and preach on Groddhkuta, the "Hill of the Vultures". Lord Mahavir spent 14 years of his life at Rajgir and Nalanda.

NALANDA :- Another trip from Rajgir is to Nalanda. This small village and its surrounding area have numerous associations with the Buddha and his disciples. Sailo 3 kilometres south-west of Nalanda is where the Buddha met and converted Maha Kassapa, the man who was later to become his successor. A large statue of Kassapa with an inscription on it was found in the village in the early 1900's but unfortunately its whereabouts is now unknown. The village of Kul some 1.5 kilometres south-east of Nalanda is the Kolita of old and the birthplace of Moggalana, the second of the Buddha's two chief disciples. Nalanda itself was often visited by the Buddha during his numerous sojourns through Magadha and he taught several important discourses there.

Established in the 5th century B.C. it remained a live center of learning till the 12th century A.D. when it was destroyed by the invader Bakhtiar Khilji. Lord Mahavira and the Buddha both taught here for years. Hsuan Tsang. the Chinese traveler studied here in the 7th century A.D. and there is a monument in his memory. He was one amongst many of those from East and Southeast Asia who came here to study logic, meta-physics, medicine, prose composition and rhetoric. The university of Nalanda offered free educational and residential facilities to as many as 10,000 students and 2000 teachers, for it was supported by a number of villages. Its library, Ratna Sagar, is believed to have contained nine million volumes. It is not surprising, then, that the destruction of this university dealt a crippling blow to Buddhist education in India

Day 04 - Varanasi To Sarnath

Arrive Varanasi. Wash & fresh – B/F at Hotel. Sightseeing at Sarnath – Lunch – Dinner. Dep. Varanasi for Gorakhpur.

The city of Varanasi is situated along the west bank of the Ganges in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Called Benaras by the British, Varanasi is an important pilgrimage centre for the Hindus. The city finds mention in the great epics of Mahabharata and Ramayana. It was a flourishing trade center when Buddha came to Sarnath, about 10 kilometres away, to preach his first sermon in 500 BC. The renowned American novelist Mark Twain once wrote, "Benaras is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together." Right from the ancient times, Varanasi has stood as a symbol of Hindu renaissance and preserved the rituals and traditions of Hindu philosophy. Down the ages, pilgrims from distant lands have come to Varanasi in search of divine blessings

SARNATH:-Sarnath, 10 km from Varanasi, where the Buddha preached his first sermon in the Deer Park, contains the most impressive remains, as well as a modem temple.

The Dharmarajika, Chaukhandi and Dharnek stupas are outstanding. There are also the remains of a monastery, and the beautifully polished Lion Capital of Ashoka.

Sarnath contains a rich library and at the Mula gandha Kutir Vihara there are excellent frescoes by Kosetsu Nosu. The Sarnath Museum, not far from the site, contains some of the finest specimens of Buddhist sculpture.

At all centers of Buddhist worship, the Vaisakha (April-May) full moon is observed as the anniversary of three important events - the Buddha's birth, Enlightenment and death, while the Asadh (July - August) full moon is observed as the anniversary of his first sermon

Day 05 - Gorakhpur

Arrive Gorakhpur. Hotel Check-In – B/F. Visit kusinagar pilgrimage sites – Lunch. Dinner - Overnight stay at Hotel.

Kushinagar
Last of the places of pilgrimage is Kushinagar, where Shakyamuni entered mahaparinirvana. This was the furthest he had reached on his final journey, which retraced much of the road he had walked when many years before he had left Kapilavastu. When he reached his eighty-first year, Buddha gave his last major teaching - the subject was the thirty-seven wings of enlightenment - and left Vulture's Peak with Ananda to journey north. After sleeping at Nalanda he crossed the Ganges for the last time at the place where Patna now stands and came to the village of Beluva. Here the Buddha was taken ill, but he suppressed the sickness and continued to Vaisali. This was a city where Shakyamuni had often stayed in the beautiful parks that had been offered to him. It was also the principal location of the third turning of the wheel of Dharma.

Coming to Pava, the blacksmith's son Kunda offered him a meal which included meat. It is said that all the buddhas of this world eat a meal containing meat on the eve of their passing away. Buddha accepted, but directed that no one else should partake of the food. Later it was learned that the meat was bad. He told Ananda that the merit created by offering an enlightened one his last meal is equal to that of offering food to him just prior to his enlightenment.

Day 06 - Lumbini to Gonda

Early B/F – Dep. for Lumbini (Nepal). Lunch – Dinner. Dep. Gorakhpur for Gonda.

Lumbini was the birthplace of the Buddha and is now located near the Nepal-India border north of Gorakpur.

Immediately before his birth, the bodhisattva was lord of Tushita deva realm. There he had resolved to be reborn for the last time and show the attainment of enlightenment to the world. He had made the five investigations and determined that this southern continent, where men lived for one hundred years, was the most suitable place and, as the royal caste was then most respected and the lineages of King Suddhodana and his Queen Mayadevi were pure, he would be born as their son, a prince of the Shakya dynasty. Placing his crown upon the head of his successor Maitreya, the bodhisattva descended from Tushita to the world of man.
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Day 07 -Gonda To Agra

Arrive Gonda. Hotel Check-In – B/F. Visit Sravasti – Lunch - Dinner. Dep. Gonda for Agra.
Sravasti (ancient Savatthi), the capital of Kosala Mahajanapada , was the biggest town in the Gangetic plains during the Buddha's lifetime. Sravasti was host to the Master for 25 years during the annual vassavasa (rain retreat) when the Sangha congregated at one place.

Angulimala:
Pakki Kuti is said to be Angulimala's Stupa. Angulimala (literally, necklace of fingers) was a dreaded dacoit who wore a necklace of fingers that were chopped from his victims. One day in a fit of brutal rage he tried to kill his own mother. It was at this moment that the Lord met Angulimala and Sakyamuni's enlightening words had a calming effect on his stone heart. Angulimala decided to give up his evil ways and follow the path of the Lord.

Less than a kilometre away are the ruins of a medieval Jain temple, revered by the Jains as the birthplace of the third Jain Tirthankara, Swayambunatha.

Excursions:
Sankissa is identified with the present village of Basantpur in Farrukhabad district of Uttar Pradesh. Situated on the banks of river Kali, Sankissa is most easily accessible form Agra which 175 kms away on the Agra-Mainpuri road. The nearest railhead is Pakhna which is 11.5kms away.
Sankissa is the place where the Buddha descended from heaven along with Lord Brahma and Devraj Indra after giving a discourse his mother, Mayadevi. Emperor Ashoka erected a pillar with an elephant capital to mark this holy spot.

Day 08 - : Delhi Return

Welcome back to Safderjung Railway Station(MotiBagh) to step back from fantasy to reality.