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Buddhist Tour - III
Buddhist Tour - III
Duration: 11 Nights / 12 Days
Places Covered: Delhi-Agra-Varanasi-Bodhgaya-Nalanda-Rajgir-Patna-
ashali-Kushinagar-Lumbini-Balrampur-Lucknow-Delhi
Day 01: Delhi
Begin your tour. Arrive in Delhi .Welcome to Vardhman's "Buddhist
Tour - III"! On arrival in Delhi , you will be met and transferred
by Vardhman's representative to your hotel. Relax for the remaining part
of the day.Overnight:Hotel
Day 02: Delhi
This morning after breakfast proceed on a city tour.Combined city
tour of New Delhi & Old DelhiVisit Qutab Minar, Humayun's tomb, Lakshminarayan
Temple, a modern Hindu Temple, Parliament House, Government Secretarial
Building and Connaught place, the shopping centre of New Delhi.Visit Red
Fort, built in 1648 by Mughal Emperor Shahjehan, Jama Masjid, one of the
largest Mosque of India, Raj Ghat and Shanti Vana, the cremation sites
of Mahatama Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. Also drive past Chandni Chowk,
shopping centre of Old Delhi.Optional: Dances of India or explore the
market & shop for special bargains! Overnight:Hotel
Day 03: Delhi-Agra -Varanasi
This morning, drive to the 'Romantic city of Taj Mahal' - Agra! .
Upon arrival, check into your hotel and later visit Agra.Visit Taj Mahal
(closed on every Friday) & Tomb of Itmad-ud-Daula. Afternoon, we ride
to the massive Agra Fort. The elegant buildings inside reflect an interesting
synthesis of Hindu and Central Asian architectural styles. The maze of
the courtyards, mosques & private chambers of the fort echo the story
of the Mughal Empire. The Moti Masjid & other magnificent buildings
reflect the skill of the ancient Indian architectsLater you will visit
a marble gallery - the flagship store in Agra which offers an excellant
range of white marble, fashionable wear & exotic wooden articles,
truly a one stop shop! Later in the evening transfer to Tundla railway
station to catch overnight train for Varanasi.2015 hrs. - Leave for Varanasi
by TrainOvernight: Train
Day 04 Varanasi
0425 hrs. - Arrive Varanasi and you will be transferred to your hotel
by our representative. Upon arrival, check into your hotel. Later proceed
to visit Sarnath and Varanasi.Tour of Sarnath, the buried Buddhist city
where Lord Buddha gave his first sermon, Sarnath was a renewed school
of learning from 6th Century B.C. to 12th Century A.D. Visit the ruins,
the stupa, the Buddhist Temple and the Museum. Then visit Varanasi which
includes visit to the Bharat Mata Temple with a big relief map of India
in Marble, Durga Temple, Tulsi Manas Mandir, Banaras Hindu University,
which has an art gallery and the mosque of Moghul Emperor Aurangazeb,
built on the site of an ancient Hindu Temple. Overnight: Hotel
Day 05 Varanasi-Bodhgaya
You can enjoy Boat Cruise (at your own cost) on Sacred River Ganges
Early morning boat excursion on the holy river Ganges to see the bathing
ghats and cremation site. Watching people bathing and worshipping at the
ghats is one of the most extraordinary experiences of a visit to India.
Later drive to Bodhgaya. Bodhgaya is one of the sacred places for the
Buddhists as well as for the Hindus. Here under the Bodhi Tree, Gautama
attained supreme knowledge to become Budhha, the `Enlighted One'. Upon
arrival transfer to hotel for an overnight stay.Overnight: Hotel
Day 06 Bodhgaya
City tour of Bodhgaya.Visit Maha Bodhi Temple and Mahabodhi Tree.
Also visit the Chinese Temple, Niranjana temple, rRiver and also visit
the school of the destitute.The Buddha attained enlightenment in Bodhgaya,
under the Bodhi tree, 10 km from Gaya. the ancient Hindu pilgrimage centre.
The tree from the original sapling still stands in the temple premises.
It is the most important Buddhist pilgrimage centre as Buddhisrn was born
here.
The magnificent Mahabodhi temple in Bodhgaya is an architectural amalgamation
of many centuries cultures and many heritages that came to pay their homage
here. The temple definitely has architecture of the Gupta and later ages,
inscriptions describing visits of pilgrims from Sri Lanka, Myanmar and
China between 7th and 10th century AD. It is perhaps still the same temple
Hiuen Tsang visited in 7th century.
Overnight: Hotel
Day 07 Bodhgaya - Nalanda - Rajgir - Patna
Early morning drive to Patna. Enroute visit the historical towns
of Nalanda & Rajgir. NALANDA - Nalanda, where ruins of the great
ancient university have been excavated, is situated at a distance of
90 km. south east of Patna by road. It falls on way to Rajgir. It is
also linked by rail with Patna, Rajgir and Bakhtiyarpur (on Delhi-Howrah
main track). Hieun Tsang, the renowned Chinese traveller of the seventh
century, says that according to tradition the place owed its name to
a Naga of the same name which resided in a local tank. But he thinks
it more probable that Lord Buddha, in one of his previous births as
Bodhisatwa, 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 from Nalam plus da. Nalam means lotus which is a
symbol for knowledge and Da means given the place had many lotuses.
Nalanda has a very ancient history. It was frequently visited by Lord
Vardhamana Mahavir and Lord Buddha in the 6th century BC. during his
sajourns, the Lord Buddha found this place prosperous, swelling, teeming
with population and containing mango-groves. It is also supposed to
be the birth place of Sariputra, one of the Chief disciple of the Lord
Buddha.
Rajgir is situated in a lush green valley enclosed by five hills and
historic stonewalls. Rajgirha, Now Rajgir, was once the ancient capital
of powerful kingdom of Magadh. The Buddha chose this famous for many
of his retreats and sermons. It was here the first Buddhist council
was held. After sightseeing of Rajgir drive again for 3 hours to Bodhgaya.
On arrival in Patna, check into your hotel for an overnight stay. Overnight:
Hotel
Day 08: Patna - Vaishali - Kushinagar
Explore the site where Buddha was cremated and visit Mahaparinirvana
Temple.
VAISHALI - Vaishali has a past that pre-dates recorded history. It is
held that the town derives its name from King Vishal, whose heroic deeds
are narrated in the Hindu epic Ramayana. However, history records that
around the time Pataliputra was the centre of political activity in
the Gangetic plains, Vaishali came into existence as centre of the Ganga,
it was the seat of the Republic of Vajji. Vaishali is credited with
being the World's First Republic to have a duly elected assembly of
representatives and efficient administration.
The Lord Buddha visited Vaishali more than once during his lifetime
and announced his approaching Mahaparinirvana to the great followers
he had here.
Hundred years after he attained Mahaparinirvana, it was the venue of
the second Buddhist Council. According to one belief, the Jain Tirthankar,
Lord Mahavir was born at Vaishali. The Chinese travellers Fa-Hien and
Hieun Tsang also visited this place in early 5th and 7th centuries respectively
and wrote about Vaishali.
While talking of the famous men and women associated with Vaishali,
Amrapali was the cynosure not only of Vaishali but of the neighbouring
kingdoms as well.
Therefore, to avert bloodshed, the parliament of Vaishali declared her
to be a Court dancer besides consigning her to lifelong spinsterhood.
Later she became a devout Buddhist and served the Lord Buddha.
Upon arrival at Kusihnagar, check into your pre-booked hotel. KUSHINAGAR
- The Buddha is believed to have breathed his last in this land with
pastoral surrounding, the small hamlet of Kushinagar, 53 km west of
Gorakhpur. The land is venerated as the site of the Buddha's Mahaparinirvana,
his death and cremation, that marked his final liberation from the cycles
of death and rebirth.
This small town in the former kingdom of the Mallas was surrounded by
dense forest. It remained oblivous to the outside world until it was
rediscovered by the archaeologists in the nineteenth century.
The modern Indo-Japan-Srilanka Buddhist centre, Kushinagar is rediscovering
its roots, and is home to many viharas, including a Tibetan gompa devoted
to Sakyamuni, a Burmese vihara, and temples from China and Japan. Overnight:
Hotel
Day 09: Kushinagar - Lumbini- Sravasti
On the day 9 of your tour drive to Saravasti. Enroute visit Lumbini
- the birthplace of Buddha and is located just a few kilometres inside
Nepal. The birthplace of the Gautama Buddha, Lumbini, is the Mecca of
every Buddhist, being one of the four holy places of Buddhism. Buddha
himself identified four places of future pilgrimage: the sites of his
birth, enlightenment, first discourse, and death. Hence the birth of
Gautam Buddha makes it one of the most sacred places in the world. The
Sal tree where Siddhartha was born is difficult to locate now. But Ashoka,
in the 21st year of his reign visited the forest and raised a pillar
on the spot where Siddhartha was born.
On arrival transfer to hotel for an overnight stay.
Overnight: Hotel
Day 10: Saravasti - Lucknow - Delhi
Morning visit to Sahet & Mahet -15 kms from Balrampur and the
capital of the ancient Kingdom of Kosala. Sravasti has the honour for
sheltering Buddha for 24 rainy seasons in the Jetvana Vihar and has
the famous Anand Bodhi tree, age-old stupas, majestic monasteries and
several temples. Buddha is said to have performed some miracles here.
Later in the evening transfer to Gonda Railway Station to catch overnight
train for Delhi at 19:35 hrs. Overnight: Train
Day 11 : Delhi
Arrive Delhi at 6:15 hrs. On arrival you will be met and transferred
by our representative to Delhi International airport to board the flight
for your onward journey to back home with sweet and unforgettable memries
of ''Buddhist Tour- III' escorted by Vardhman Vacations. END OF OUR
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