Day 01 Arrive Delhi
Arrive in Delhi, the capital city of India. After
completing formalities with customs and immigration, you
will be received by our representative with Traditional
Indian Welcome (with garlands).
Delhi is the capital of India since old times. Delhi's
history dates back to the first millenium BC, when it
was known as Indraprastha. The Tomar Rajputs built Lal
Kot, the core of the first of Delhi's seven cities. It
is the epicenter of the nation's politics, economy and
culture. History is alive and throbbing in Delhi, the
capital of India.
Afterwards transfer to your hotel for the overnight
stay.
Day 02 Delhi – Lucknow (
Train )
Lucknow – Sravasti By Road ( Approx 170 Kms / 04 Hours )
This morning you will be met by our representative and
escorted from your Hotel to the New Delhi railway
station in time to aboard the Shatabdi Express (0615 /
1230 hrs.).
Upon arrival in Lucknow you will be met and drive to
Sravasti .
Sravasti - The capital of the ancient kingdom of Kosala,
has the honour of sheltering Buddha for 24 rainy seasons
in the Jetvana Gardens. This city has age old Stupas,
Majestic, Monasteries and several temples. Buddha is
said to have performed some miracles here. This holy
place also has the famous Anand Bodhi Tree, an offspring
of the one, said to have been planted by Buddha’s main
disciple Anand.
Upon arrival check-in to hotel. Rest of the day at
leisure.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 03 Sravasti – Lumbini
By Road ( Approx 260 Kms / 06 Hours )
After breakfast this morning embark from your hotel for
a half day tour of Sravasti.
This tour includes a visit to Maheth - Identified with
the remains of the city; Maheth covers an area of about
400 acres. Excavations have exposed the massive gates of
the city, ramparts and also the ruins of other
structures, which stand testimony to the prosperity of
ancient Sravasti. The Sobhanath Temple is located here.
Pakki Kuti and Kacchi Kuti were probably Buddhist
shrines, before they were converted into Brahmanical
temples.
Shobhanath Temple - The `Shobhanath' temple is believed
to be the birth place of Jain tirthankar 'Sambhavanath',
making Shravasti an important centre for the Jains.
Saheth - known primarily as the site of the Jetavana
monastery, Saheth covers an area of 32 acres. Lying
about a quarter of a mile to the south - west of Maheth,
it became an important place of pilgrimage, adorned with
numerous shrines, stupas and monasteries. The stupas
belong mostly to the Kushana period, while the temples
are in the Gupta style.
The sightseeing tour is followed by a drive to Lumbini
Lumbini - 27kms from Sonauli on the Indo-Nepal border,
situated in southern Nepal, Lumbini is the place where
Siddhartha Gautam, the Shakya Prince and the ultimate
Buddha was born in 623 BC. The sacred place, marked by a
stone pillar erected by Emperor Ashoka of India in 249
BC, is listed as one of the World Heritage Sites.
Lumbini is the Mecca of every Buddhist, being one of the
four holy places of Buddhism. It is said in the
Parinibbana Sutta that Buddha himself identified four
places of future pilgrimage: the sites of his birth,
enlightenment, first discourse, and death.
Upon arrival check-in to the hotel. Rest of the day at
leisure.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 04 Lumbini – Kushinagar
By Road ( Approx 170 Kms / 05 Hours )
After breakfast this morning embark from your hotel for
a half day tour of Lumbini. This tour includes a visit
to
The Sacred Garden - it is spread over 8 sq.km and
possesses all the treasures of the historic area. Many
countries have built temples, monastries or stupas near
the Sacred Garden in the International Monastery Zone.
Ashoka pillar carrying an inscription identifying the
holy site as the birthplace is situated nearby the
Sacred Garden.
Mayadevi Temple which houses a bas relief depicting the
nativity. Recent excavations have turned up a stone
bearing a "foot imprint", indicating the exact place of
birth. Puskarni pond where Queen Mayadevi, the Buddha's
mother, had taken a bath before giving birth to Buddha.
The sightseeing tour is followed by a drive to
Kushinagar.
Kushinagar – Another of the four holy sites for
Buddhists. This is the place that the Buddha chosed for
his Mahaparinirvana, or final exit from this earth. Many
of the stupas and viharas in ruins here date back to 3rd
- 5th Century, when prosperity was at its peak. The
Mauryan emperor Ashoka is known for contributing to
significant construction at this site. Also, many new
temples have been constructed by Chinese, Sri Lankan,
Thai, and Japanese Buddhists along the ruins of
monasteries and stupas.
Upon arrival check-in to the hotel. Rest of the day at
leisure. Overnight at hotel.
Day 05 Kushinagar – Patna
By Road ( Approx 250 Kms / 06 Hours )
After Breakfast this morning you embark from your hotel
for half day tour of Kushinagar.
This tour includes a visit to
Mahaparinirvana Temple - This houses the over 6 mtrs
long statue of reclining Buddha. The image was unearthed
during the excavations of 1876. The statue represents
the dying Buddha reclining on his right side. Ramabhar -
This large stupa rises to a height of 49 ft. It marks
the site where the Lord Buddha was cremated. In ancient
Buddhist texts this stupa has been referred to as
Mukut-Bandhan Vihar.
Mathakuar Temple - this shrine lies about 400 yards from
the Parinirvana stupa. A black stone image of the Buddha
in the bhumi sparsha mudra was recovered here. The last
sermon by Lord Buddha was given here.
The sightseeing tour is followed by a drive to Patna,
enroute visit Vaishali – Buddha delivered his last
sermon here, and announced his impending ‘nirvana’. The
second Buddhists council, held 100 years after Buddha’s
Parinirvana also took place here. This place is also
birthplace of Lord Mahavira, the Jain Guru, and is a
sacred place for the Jain’s as well. Abhishek Pushkarni,
Ashoka Pillar, Lotus Tank, Chau-Mukhi Mahadeo are the
important places to visit.
Later continue your drive to Patna. Upon arrival check
in to the hotel. Rest of the evening free at leisure.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 06 Patna – Bodhgaya By
Road ( Approx 200 Kms / 07 Hours )
After breakfast this morning you will drive to Bodhgaya
,enroute visiting Nalanda and Rajgir.
Nalanda – Known as the ancient seat of learning, the
ruins of the University reveal that it was the first
International University of the world, where over 2,000
teachers and 1,000 students from all over the Buddhist
world lived and studied. An international centre for the
Buddhist studies also functions here. Buddha had visited
this place several times and preached here. Mauryan
emperor Ashoka built many famous monasteries, temples
here. The excavated ruins are spectacular, with chapels,
monasteries and lecture halls symmetrically spread over
a large area. The antiquities on view portray the
spiritual and meditative principles of Buddhism,
especially as it must have existed at Nalanda.
Rajgir - Another important place of pilgrimage for
Buddhists and as well as Jains. Ancient Rajgriha,
literally the abode of Kings, was the first capital of
Magadha. It was here that the Buddha first studied under
Alara and Uddaka and spent his time in retreat after the
attainment of Nirvana. Naturally, when the Buddha died,
his disciples chose to hold the first great Buddhist
Council at Rajgir. It was in the Sattparini cave that
the Council was held and the tenets of the Buddhist
faith were drawn up and finalised. Vulture Peak,
Griddhakuta, Ajatsatru Fort are the important places to
visit in Rajgir.
Later continue your drive to Bodhgaya.
Bodhgaya - Bodhgaya, is the place, where in the 6th
century BC, a young ascetic, Siddhartha, attained
enlightenment to become the Buddha, and founded
Buddhism, one of the world's oldest religions. He came
to Bodhgaya looking for a quiet retreat, where he could
meditate upon the causes for human suffering. As the
place of the Buddha's Enlightenment, Bodhgaya is the
spiritual home of Buddhists.
Upon arrival check-in to the hotel.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 07 In Bodhgaya
After breakfast this morning embark from your hotel for
half day tour of Bodhgaya.
This tour includes a visit to
The Mahabodhi Temple Complex that houses all the major
pilgrimage spots. A large circular stone with the
Buddha's footprints is kept in a small shrine on the
left. Seven spots within the complex precincts are
especially sacred because it was at these spots that the
Buddha spent a week each, meditating, after his
Enlightenment. Mahabodhi temple which stands in the
centre of the Mahabodhi Temple Complex has been restored
and rebuilt over the centuries. Set among verdant lawns,
this giant pyramidal sandstone structure soars to a
height of 54 meters and is visible for miles around. The
Bodhi tree - Buddha attained enlightenment under this
tree and spent the first week after his enlightenment
under this tree.
Rest of the day free at leisure.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 08 Bodhgaya – Varanasi
By Road ( Approx 242 Kms / 06 Hours )
After breakfast this morning drive to Varanasi, enroute
visiting Sarnath - After attaining enlightenment in
Bodhgaya, Buddha he came to Sarnath and delivered his
first sermon. The Emperor Ashoka (c 304 - 232 BC), who
spread the Buddha's message of love and compassion
throughout his vast empire, visited Sarnath around 234
BC, and erected a stupa here. Several Buddhist
structures were raised at Sarnath between the 3rd
century BC and the 11th century AD, and today it
presents the most expansive ruins amongst places on the
Buddhist trail.
Visit Dhamek Stupa - the imposing stupa 39m high was
probably erected in 200 B.C in the Mauryan era. Ashoka
Pillar - erected by the Emperor Ashoka, the pillar had
his edict engraved on it. At one time it stood over 17m
high. Its citadel with the four lions back to back, is
also the official symbol of modern India. Chaukandi
Stupa - this stupa was rebuilt by Mughal Emperor Akbar.
Dhamarajika Stupa - only the ruins of this stupa built
by Emperor Ashoka can be seen today. Moolgandha Kuti
Vihara - built in more recent times by the Mahabodhi
Society, it has a life-size statue of the lord Buddha in
the Dharmachakra Pravartan form.
Later continue the drive to Varanasi. Upon arrival in
Varanasi, check in to your hotel and rest of the day at
leisure. Overnight in Varanasi.
Varanasi - One of the holiest cities in India, Varanasi
is one of the most important pilgrimage sites and also a
major tourist attraction. It has been the religious
capital of Hinduism since time immemorial. Situated on
the banks of the sacred Ganges, Varanasi has been a
center of learning and civilization for more than 2,000
years. Written records of the Skanda Purana and the
Mahabharata mention its existence as long as 3,000 years
ago. It is probably the oldest living city in India, and
one of the world's most ancient. Varanasi has been a
great cultural centre, especially in the fields of
music, learning and the craft of silk weaving. Upon
arrival check-in to the hotel. Overnight at hotel.
Day 09 Varanasi – Delhi (
Flight )
Early morning enjoy a boat ride on the holy river The
Ganges followed by the tour of Varanasi.
A highlight of any trip to Varanasi - this incredible
scene as multitudes of devotees comes to the river to
pay homage to the Sun God. The riverfront, as seen from
a boat at sunrise, is a spiritually uplifting sight.
Hinduism, deep and mystical, is everywhere: in a
decorated doorway; in a glimpse of a glittering temple;
in the sound of a sacred bell; in the chant of the
priests; and in the fragrance of flower oblations.
The tour of this ancient city includes The Bharat Mata
Temple, which has a big relief map of India in marble,
the Benares Hindu University with its art gallery, and
the Mosque of Mughal Emperor Aurangazeb built on the
side of an ancient Hindu temple, bathing ghats, The
Kashivishwanath temple, The Durgakund.
Return to the hotel for a leisurely breakfast, and early
afternoon, you will be met by our representative and
escorted from your Hotel to the Varanasi airport in time
for your flight to Delhi.
Upon arrival you will be met and escorted to your hotel
for check-in etc. The evening is at leisure. Overnight
at hotel.
Day 10 In Delhi
Breakfast at Hotel. This morning you embark from your
hotel for full day tour of Old and New Delhi.
The tour of the 17th-century old city includes the great
mosque of Jama Masjid, The main street of Old Delhi is
the colorful shopping bazaar known as Chandni Chowk
(“Moonlit Street”). Red Fort, most spectacular pieces of
mughal architecture, built by the Mughal emperor, Shah
Jahan between 1638 and 1648. Drive past Raj Ghat, the
cremation site of Mahatma Gandhi.
The tour of New Delhi includes Qutab Minar, one of the
most popular landmarks in Delhi built in 1199. The
Humayun's Tomb, the precursor of the Taj Mahal. Drive
down the spectacular Rajpath (“the Kingsway,”) passing
the India Gate (the memorial built to commemorate the
unknown soldiers,) the President’s House, and the House
of Parliament. Enjoy a brief respite from the otherwise
bustling city at Birla Mandir, a modern and colourful
Hindu temple.
Evening at leisure to perhaps venture out and discover
the city or its many facets on your own. Overnight at
hotel.
Day 11 Delhi- Overseas
Met by our representative and escorted from your hotel
to the Delhi airport in time for your flight home.
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