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BUDDHIST SITES
Buddhism was a religion that was born in India but spread its wings
all over the world. Being the country of Gautam Buddha, the Buddhist
pilgrimage centers in India are the main attractions that attract
devotees even from outside India. And why not! India was the center
of Buddhist learning in the ancient times, and religious sites of
those times have become the places of monumental importance today.
The word 'Buddha' is a title and not a name. It means 'one who
is awake' in the sense of having 'woken up to reality'. It was first
given to a man who was born as Siddhartha Gautama in Nepal 2,500
years ago. He did not claim to be a God and he has never been regarded
as such by Buddhists. He was a human being who became Enlightened,
understanding life in the deepest way possible.
BODHGAYA
 Bodhgaya,
in the state of Bihar, reckoned as the most important Buddhist pilgrimage
center, is the place where Lord Sakyamuni (Gautam Buddha) entered
into meditation after being moved by the sufferings of mankind.
The giant Bodhi Tree (Peepal) that we see today is believed to have
grown from the original Bodhi Tree under which, sitting on the raised
platform, Prince Siddharth meditated and finally attained Nivrana.
Then there is Chaukramana, the jewel Walk, where it is believed
that the Buddha strolled while in deep thought.
The magnificent Maha Bodhi temple in Bodhgaya is an architectural
amalgamation of many cultures. The temple bears the stamp of the
architecture of the Gupta dynasty and subsequent ages. On the walls
of the temple, one sees Buddha carved in different aspects, and
in the sanctum sanctorum, a colossal Buddha, is seen touching the
ground, which has mythological significance in the Buddhist lore's.
The temple carries inscriptions recording the visits of pilgrims
from Sri Lanka, China and myanmar in the 7th and 10th Centuries
A.D. Hieun Tsang, the Chinese traveler, also visited the temple
in the 7th Century.
Other Places of Interest
Adjacent to the Mahabodhi temple is the Shaivite Monastery that
has a cluster of four Temples. Surrounded by enchanting greenery
and marked by architectural marvels, these temples have several
Samadhis (commemorative Stones) in their vicinity. Just across are
a number of cells, meant for residential purposes of monks.
Not far from the Shaivite Monastery is the Jagannath Temple which
is dedicated to Lord shiva and has the statue of the deity, carved
in glistening black stone.
Finally, a visit to the Archaeological Museum is a must for a religious
art lover as it initiates one into the age of Buddha's centered
art forms. the Buddhist sculpture collection from Ist Century B.C.
to 11th Century A.D. is housed here at one place. Reflected through
several art forms, it is more like a treasure house of artistic
expression. Bodhgaya is 245 Kms. from Varanasi and178 Kms from Patna
Via Rajgir and Nalanda.
GAYA
 A
place of religious sanctity for Hindus, Gaya lies 12 Kms from Bodhgaya
between Presthila and Ramshila hills and is washed by the shores
of river Phalgu. Gaya has a large number of Buddhist temples also.
While Buddha was doing severe penance, he became weak, tired and
hungry. He rested under a tree where, he was offered food by a condemned
village woman named Sujata. to everybody's surprise Buddha accepted
her offerings. Legend has it, that after having consumed the food,
Buddha's countenance assumed a divine glow and he realized the Supreme
Truth; that neither extreme self indulgence nor self mortification
is ever required. What is needed is to follow the Middle path. Sujata
Stahn Durgeshwari Temple stands as a symbol commemorating this event.
In the vicinity of Bodhgaya, there are several other places of
Tourist interest such as the Surya Temple at Deo, 20 Kms from Gaya;
at the Sun God Temple at Umya; the Konchishwar Maha Deva Temple
at Konch; Barabar Caves just 40 kms. away; the Buddhist Rock-cut
caves of 3rd Century B.C. at Sasaram, 123 Kms. away.
KAPILAVASTU
 110
Kms from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, Kapilavastu on the Gorakhpur
Gonda loop-line with Naugarh (35 Kms.) is the nearest railway station.
The Capital city of the Sakya clan, and one one of the earliest
republics, it was in Kapilavastu's opulent environs, that the holy
soul of prince Siddharth (Gautam Buddha) spent his childhood. Here
he saw sorrow and pain, disease and death. Then, finally when he
saw a radiant happy sadhu who had conquered all these, he decided
to renounce all worldly riches and pleasures to seek truth and embark
on the path of salvation. The place holds significant value for
Buddhist pilgrims and has several Stupas. The archaeological excavations
have revealed stone caskets containing relics believed to be that
of Buddha's.
SARNATH
Sarnath, about 10 Kms from the holy city of Varanasi, is the blessed
locale where more than 2,500 years ago Buddha chose to deliver his
first sermon, after attaining Nivrana. The five disciples who had
followed him were surprised to see the mesmerizing glowing countenance
of Buddha, who convinced them and delivered hid first sermon before
them, now termed Dharamchakra Pravartan. This set in motion the
great Buddhist tradition of the Sangha, for popularizing the teachings
of the great ascetic, world-wide. Gautam Buddha with his five disciples
formed the first Sangha along with Yasa of Varanasi and his 54 friends.
The beginning of the celebrated Mantra, ' Buddham Sharanam Gachhami',
owes its origin to Sarnath. The three jewels " I go for refuge to
the Buddha, I go for refuge to the wheel of Law, I go for refuge
to the Sangha".
First laid down here, have remained unchanged ever since. Hence
rightly, every Buddhist Pilgrim after Bodhgaya, endeavors to be
blessed with a visit to Sarnath in his life time.
SARNATH (Dhamekh Stupa)
 Dhamekh
Stupa bears particular significance at Sarnath as it signifies "seat
of the holy Buddha", as he proclaimed his faith. It is about 34
mts. in height and including the foundations, it can be measured
up to 42 mts. Besides Dhamekh Stupa, Sarnath also has the ruins
of Dharmajajika Stupa and that of the original Mulghandhakuti Temple
which according to Hieun Tsang was about 61 mts. high. Buddha is
said to have rested and meditated here while in Sarnath.
Emperor Ashoka(273 -232 B.C.), converted to Buddhism after the
Kalinga war and also visited Sarnath. A smooth glistening stone
pillar, called the Ashoka Pillar commemorates his visit and laid
the foundation of the Buddhist Sangha here. The lion Capital on
top of this pillar is now the National Emblem of India.
The Chaukhandi Stupa was originally a terraced temple during the
Gupta period (4th to 6th Century). However in 1588 A.D., Govardhan,
the son of Raja Todarmal, built an octagonal tower to commemorate
the visit of Humayun - Father of Akbar. Govardhan later went on
to become the Governor under Akbar's rule.
Similarly Akbar, the great Mughal Emperor who revered all religions
alike, raised the Chaukhandi Stupa in 1555 A.D.
RAJGIR
 Rajgir
is situated in a beautiful valley surrounded by rocky hills The
"Peace Pagoda" stupa built by the Japanese can be reached by an
aerial ropeway. On one of the hills is the cave of Saptaparni where
the first Buddhist Council was held. Hot water springs here have
curative properties and are sacred to the Hindus. Rajgir is 10 km
south of Nalanda, sacred to the memory of the founder of both Buddhism
and Jainism as the Buddha lived here in the sixth century BC. He
used to meditate and preach on the " Hill of the Vultures". It was
in Rajgriha that Lord Buddha delivered some of his famous sermons
and had converted king Bimbisara "of the Magadha empire and countless
other to his creed . Once a great city, Rajgir is just just a village
today but vestiges of a legendary and historical past remain, like
the cyclopean wall that encircles the town and the marks engraved
in rock that local folklore ascribes to Lord Krishna's chariot.
This legend like many others associated Rajgir to that distinct
time when the stirring events recorded in the epic Mahabharata were
being enacted.
VAISHALI
Vaishali has an ancient history. The town had derived its name
from the King Vishal whose heroic deeds are also mentioned in the
Hindu epic Ramayana. However the history records that around the
time Patliputra was the centre of political activity in the Gangetic
plains, Vaishali became the centre of trade. Lying on the north
bank of the Ganga it was the seat of the republic of Vajji. Vaihshali
is credited with being India's first and the world's finest republic
to have a duly elected assembly of representatives and an efficient
administration in those ancient days. Lord Buddha had visited Vaishali
and announced his approaching 'Mahaparinirvana' (death).
And a hundred years later the second Budddhist council was held
here. According to one belief, the 24th Jain Tirthankar, Lord Mahavira
was born at Vaishali. In the 5th century and 7th century the Chinese
travellers Fa-Hien and Hieun Tsang had visited Vaishali and had
written about the city in their memoirs.
Places of Interest
Ashoka Pillar: Built by Emperor Ashoka at Kolhua. It is
made of a highly polished single piece of red sandstone, surrounded
by a bell shaped capital, 18.3m.high. A life size figure of a lion
is placed on top of the pillar. There is also a small tank known
as Ramkund.
Bawan Pokhar Temple: It is situated on the bank of a tank
known as Bawan Pokhar, built during the Pala period. It also has
the beautiful images of several Hindu gods.
Buddha Stupa I: On its exterior this stupa appears to have
a plain surface. One-eighth of the sacred ashes of Lord Buddha were
enshrined here in a stone casket.
Buddha Stupa II: In 1958 another casket were discovered
containing the ashes of Lord Buddha on this site.
Raja Vilas ka Garh: It has a circumference of about one
kilometer and walls nearly 2 meter high with a 43 meter wide moot
around them and believed to be the ancient parliament house. Over
seven thousand representatives of the federal assembly used to gather
here to legislate and discuss the problems in the pre-Christian
era.
Kundpur: (4 km) According to a common belief 24th Jain
Tirthankar, Lord Mahavira was born here over 2550 years ago and
had spent first 22 years of his life.
Coronation Tank: In the by gone era it was originally called
Abhishek Pushkarni. It was supposed to have the sacred water and
all of Vaishali's elected representatives were anointed here before
their swearing in ceremony.
NALANDA
 Nalanda
has an association with Lord Mahavira and Lord Buddha who had frequently
visited it in the 6th century BC. According to Hieun Tsang, the
Chinese traveller who visited Nalanda in 7th century, says, that
the place owned its name to a Naga saint of the same name who resided
in a tank here. But he thinks it more probable that Lord Buddha,
in one of his previous births as Bodhistawa, became a king with
his capital at this place and that his liberality won for him and
his capital the name Nalanda or "Charity without intermission ".
The third theory about the name of the place is that it derived
its name from 'Nalam' plus 'DO'. Nalam means lotus which is a symbol
of knowledge and 'DO' means give. The place had many ponds full
of lotuses. The place subsequently came to be called Naland and
later on Nalanda. The university of Nalanda was founded in the 5th
century BC by the Gupta emperors and recorded as the world's earliest
university. There were thousands of students and teachers. The courses
of study included scriptures of Buddhism (both mahayana and Hinayana
schools), Vedas, Hetu Vidya (logic), Shabda Vidya (grammar), Chikitsa
Vidya (medicine), politics, philosophy etc. The university received
royal patronage of the emperor Harshavardhana of Kannauj and also
Pala Kings. It was a great center of learning and students from
foreigner countries were also attracted to this university. Nalanda
acquired a celebrity spread allover the east as a center of Buddhist
theology and educational activities. It served as a monastic university
until the end of the 12th century. The ruins extend over a large
area and represent only a part of the extensive establishment.
Places of Interest
The Nalanda University Archaeological Complex: These excavations
are spread over an area of 14 hectares. The buildings are divided
by a central walkway that goes south to north, the monasteries or
'Viharas' are to the east of this central alley and the temples
of 'Chaiyas' to the west. The Vihara I is perhaps the most interesting
one with its cells on two steps lead up to what must have been a
dais for the gurus, the teachers, to address the students. A small
chapel still retains a half broken statue of Lord Buddha.
The enormous pyramidal mass of the temple No.3 is impressive and
from its top one commands a splendid view of the entire area. It
has number of smaller stupas with many statues of Lord Buddha in
various poses.
The Nalanda Arcaheological Museum: It houses a beautiful
collection of the statues of Lord Buddha which were found during
excavation in the area. Two enormous terracotta jars of the first
century stand intact behind the museum in a shaded enclosure. The
collection includes Copper plates and stone inscriptions, coins,
pottery and samples of burnt rice (12th century AD).
KHUSHINAGAR
 Kushinagar,
one of the principal centres of Buddhist pilgrimage, is the place
of Mahaparinirvana. The monuments of Kushinagar are situated in
three distinct comprising the main site of the Nirvana Temple, the
central stupa and surrounding monasteries. Nirvana Temple houses
over 6 meter long statue of the reclining Buddha The image were
unearthed during the excavations in 1876. An inscription below dates
the statue to the 5th century BC Mathakuar shrine is a black stone
image of Lord Buddha in the Bhumi Sparsha Mudra (a posture showing
him touching earth) was recovered here. It is believed that the
last sermon by Buddha was given here. Ramabhar Stupa rises to a
height of 49 ft and marks the site where the Lord Buddha was cremated.
In ancient Buddhist texts, this stupa has been referred to as Mukut
Bandhar Vihar. Kushinagar Museum houses finds from excavations at
the site.
There are some other Buddhist places
LADAKH
Popularly known as "Hermit Kingdom". Ladakh is a land of
snow carved peaks, translucent Lakes, barren terrain and mystic
culture. Quite like Tibet it has a great Buddhist tradition which
is evident from the high monk to people ratio of 1:8. It has about
13 major Gompas (monasteries) of which Hemis is considered
the Gompa of Gompas. It has the patronage of the Royal family. It
is the most important monastery of Ladakh with a concealed entrance,
a huge courtyard flanked by two big temples. In the month of June,
the famous Hemis festival is held, when a large number of
tourists visit it.
TABO
The Tabo Monastery at a height of 3050 mts is a complex that holds
9 temples, 23 chortens, a monks chamber and an extension that houses
the nuns chamber. This core is bounded by an earthen wall and encloses
an area of 6300 sq. mts. Just short of the complex are the contemporary
monastic structures. On the sheer cliff-face above the enclave are
a series of caves which were used as dwelling units by the monks
and includes an assembly hall. Here again, dim traces of the paintings
that once adorned the rock face are visible.
SANCHI
Sanchi is a serene hill crowned by a group of stupas, monasteries,
temples and pillars dating from 3rd Century BC to the 12th century
AD. The glory that was Sanchi, an ancient seat of buddhist learning
and place of pilgrimage, can still be experienced in its comnplex
structures where many buddhists legends found expression in the
rich sculpture.
AJANTA
The Ajanta caves consists of 30 Caves including the unfinished
ones, dating back from 200 BC to 250 AD. These caves are situated
104 kms from Aurangabad and 52 kms from Jalgaon Railway Station.
The caves are cut from the volcanic lava of the Deccan in the forest
ravines of the Sahyadri Hills and are set in beautiful sylvan
surroundings. They were discovered accidentally by a British Captain,
John Smith in 1819, While on a hunting expedition.
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