 BUDDHIST PILGRIMAGE TOUR
Tour Itinerary :
Duration : 11 Nights / 12 Days
Destinations Covered :
New Delhi | Lucknow | Sravasti | Kushinagar | Patna | Rajgir | Bodhgaya | Varanasi
Day 01 : Flight to India (New Delhi)
Arrive in Delhi and get assisted by our representatives. They will take you to the hotel for check in and overnight stay.
Day 02 : New Delhi - Lucknow (by train)
The morning will be at leisure. You will be driven in the noon to the railway station for the train to Lucknow.
Day 03 : Lucknow - Sravasti (about 170 km)
You will be driven further to Sravasti right after reaching to Lucknow. Sravasti was the biggest town in the Gangetic plains during the Buddha's lifetime. Situated in Gonda district in eastern Uttar Pradesh, this place had served the Buddha for 25 years during the annual vassavasa (rain retreat). Here you get a chance to visit the renowned monastery where Lord Buddha spent 24 rainy seasons preaching.
Day 04 : Sravasti - Kushinagar (about 380 km)
In the morning, you will be driven to Kushinagar, a place the Buddha selected for his Mahaparinirvana, or final exit from this earth. You will see several new monasteries and temples here. Visit the Rambhar Stupa that marks Buddha's cremation ground; also visit the large Burmese Chandramani Bhikshu Bharamasala, the oldest monastery in Kushinagar. Kushinagar Museum is also there to be visited.
Day 05 : Kushinagar - Patna (about 253 km)
Drive further to Patna in the morning in reach an ancient town that was a thriving township during the Buddha's lifetime. Situated on the banks of the Ganga in Bihar state, this capital city has always been a major entry point for pilgrims who wish to take a trip in the footsteps of the Buddha.
Day 06 : Patna
Enjoy sightseeing in Patna after the breakfast. See the sites like Patna Museum, Golghar and Patna Sahib. Enjoy more than 50,000 rare and priceless antiquities and art objects in the museum. The Holy Relic Casket that has the sacred ashes of the Buddha is the most prixed possession in the museum. Golghar, a huge concrete granary, gives a panoramic view of the Ganga and the town. Also visit the Patna Sahib which is the sacred shrine of the Sikhs. It attracts a large number of Sikhs devotes from across the globe for being the birthplace of the 10th Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh.
Day 07 : Patna - Rajgir (about 100 km)
Drive to Rajgir in the morning. Visit Nalanda, the ancient Buddhist University enroute. Rajgir (Rajgriha) was the capital of the dominant Magadhan kingdom in the time of the Buddha. Located about 100 km from Patna, it attracts various pilgrims and tourists. Visit the Vishwa Shanti Stupa, the marble structure; also visit the Saddharma Buddha Vihara. Rajgir also attracts tourists for its seven hot Sulphur Springs, Satadhara.
Day 08 : Rajgir - Bodhgaya (about 70 km)
Drive to Bodhgaya in the morning to reach to a place where Buddha attained enlightenment. At the same, Buddhar discovered Buddhism, one of the world's oldest religions. The site also serves as the spiritual home of the Buddhists. You will have many sites to visit, like the Mahabodhi temple, the Mahabodhi Temple Complex and Bodhgaya museum.
Day 09 : Bodhgaya - Varanasi (about 242 km)
Drive further to Varanasi in the morning to reach to one’s of India’s most sacred city. Also known as the city of light - Kashi or Benaras, the city was first visited by Buddha in 500 BC. Rated among the the oldest and the holiest city in the world, the city was established around twelve hundred years ago before the Christian era.
Day 10 : Varanasi
Take a boat - ride on the holy River Ganges; take pleasure in sunrise that would be visible on the boat. Ghats have always been the principal attraction for visitors to Varanasi. Devotees throng the city to take holy prayers, meditate and to purify themselves by taking a bath in the holy river Ganges
Day 11 : Varanasi - New Delhi (by air)
Take a flight from Varanasi to New Delhi in the noon
Day 12 : New Delhi - Departure
Transfer to International airport for onward journey .
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