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Pilgrimage sites featured herein are those included when partaking in the Mahaparinirvan Special Train that was introduced in Year 2007 by the Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), a Public Sector Undertaking, under the Ministry of Railways.
We invite tour operators that promote the Mahaparinirvan Special Train to link to this webpage. |
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| Bodhgaya |
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Bodhgaya (or Bodh Gaya) is a city in the Indian state of Bihar and is the place where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. For Buddhists, it is the most important pilgrimage site related to the life of Lord Buddha. The complex contains the Mahabodhi Temple with the diamond throne (called the Vajrasana) and the holy Bodhi tree. This tree was grown from a sapling of the Sri Maha Bodhi tree in Sri Lanka, itself grown from a sapling of the original Bodhi tree. It also contains an Ashokan Pillar erected by Emperor Ashoka during the 3rd century BC.
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| Rajgir |
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Rajgir, also in the state of Bihar, is the location of Gridhakuta (Vulture's Peak), that is listed in Buddhist canonical texts as one of the places where the Buddha stayed when at Rajgir. A gentle climb on a stone pathway takes the pilgrim up the hill where several notable events, including an attempt on the Buddha’s life by his evil cousin Devadatta
occurred. A
number of major
canonical texts,
most famously
the Lotus Sutra,
are believed to
have been
delivered as
sermons at the
peak. As such,
it was (and is)
a major
destination for
pilgrims in both
ancient and
modern times.
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Nalanda |
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Nalanda, not far from Rajgir, is recognised as “one of the first great universities in recorded history,” and was a Buddhist centre of learning from 427 BC to 1197 AD. The Buddha stayed at Nalanda several times, usually residing in the mango grove where He would engage in discussions with scholars.
Today, Nalanda consists of the ruins of the university enclosed in a complex with immaculately manicured lawns, hedges and flowers under the control of the Archaeological Survey of India.
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Sarnath |
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Sarnath, one of four pilgrimage sites designated by Gautama Buddha, is situated on the banks of the River Ganga in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh about 10 km from Varanasi. This is the site of the deer park where the Buddha first taught the Dharma (delivered His first sermon). Most of the ancient buildings and structures at Sarnath were damaged or destroyed by invaders. Amongst the ruins, however, several have been identified: the Dhamek Stupa, at a height of 128 feet high and diameter of 93 feet dominates the area; the Dharmarajika Stupa is one of the few pre-Ashokan stupas remaining, although only the foundations remain; the Chaukhandi Stupa commemorates the spot where the Buddha met his first disciples; the ruins of the Mulagandhakuti Vihara mark the place where the Buddha spent his first rainy season (a modern Mulagandhakuti Vihara monastery, built in the 1930s by the Sri Lankan Mahabodhi Society, stands nearby); and the Ashoka Pillar, originally surmounted by the “Lion Capital of Asoka” was broken during Turk invasions but the base still stands at the original location.
The Sarnath Archeological Museum houses the famous Ashokan Lion Capital, which originally topped the Ashokan Pillar and became the National Emblem of India. The museum also houses a famous and refined image of the Buddha in Dharmachakra-posture.
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Kushinagar |
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Kushinagar, also in the state of Uttar Pradesh, is a much-frequented Buddhist pilgrimage site as it is the place where Lord Buddha passed away. Within the complex, Mahaparinirvana Stupa stands on the place of Buddha's Mahaparinirvana (Great Nirvana or passing away), and Makutabandhana is the cremation-site of His body. A 1500 year old image of the Buddha as he attained Parinirvana is located close to the Mahaparinirvana Stupa. The complex at Kushinagar
is very serine with
beautifully manicured
surroundings. Other temples
in the area include those
constructed by Indian,
Chinese, Sri Lankan, Thai,
Burmese, South Korean,
Tibetan and Japanese
Buddhists.
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| Lumbni |
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Lumbini, located a short distance across the border in Nepal, is the place where Mayadevi gave birth to Siddhartha Gautama, who later became the Buddha. For Buddhists, this is one of the four main pilgrimage sites.
The holy site of Lumbini has ruins of ancient monasteries, a sacred Bodhi tree, an ancient bathing pond, the Asokan pillar, and the Mayadevi
temple, where the precise
place of birth of Buddha is
located. Pilgrims from
various countries performed
chanting and meditation at
the site.
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Sravasti |
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Sravasti was one of the six largest cities in India during Gautama Buddha’s lifetime. It is believed that the Buddha spent twenty-five rainy seasons here thus leaving only twenty to be spent elsewhere. He spent 19 seasons in the monastery named Jetavana, and 6 in the monastery called Pubbarama. Thus, Sravasti is the place where Buddha lived the longest amount of time, and it is the place where he gave the largest number of discourses and instructions. Sravasti is also the place where the Twin Miracle took place, in which Buddha made a demonstration of his supernatural powers for the purpose of silencing certain believers of other faiths who proclaimed that the Buddha was incapable of performing supernatural miracles.
The walls of the ancient city are still standing. Within these are the ancient Angulimala's and Anathapindika's stupas, and the site of Jetavana monastery – the main pilgrimage destination, with meditation and chanting mainly done at the Gandhakuti (Buddha's hut) and the Anandabodhi tree.
Outside the complex and down the road a piece is the stupa where the
Twin Miracle took place.
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Varanasi |
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Varanasi (also known as Benares or Kashi) is a Hindu holy city situated on the banks of the river Ganges (Ganga) in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world, dating back thousands of years. It is often also referred to as "city of temples and learning." The culture of Varanasi is deeply associated with the river Ganges and the river's religious importance.
While Varanasi is not a Buddhism pilgrimage city; it is, however, located very close to Sarnath. The organizers of the Mahaparinirvan Special Train most likely added the Ganga Aarit ceremony to the itinerary of the Buddhist pilgrimage because they thought that foreign and Indian pilgrims would enjoy the experience. Good choice. Besides, there was plenty of time to see the ceremony prior to hopping on the train to go to Kushinagar,
our next destination.
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| Face
Along The Way |
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We encountered a few interesting faces while on the Buddhism pilgrimage with the Mahaparinirvan' Special Train. Here are a few, plus a few at the end of some of the pilgrims in our group.
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