Take A Ride On The Spiritual Side With Buddhist Circuit Tourist Train

There are many important pilgrimage sites scattered all around the world that have special significance for Buddhists. In the words of the Buddha, or the Enlightened One, however, all serious practitioners of Buddhism, who wanted to try and attain nirvana like the Buddha himself, were recommended to follow in his footsteps and trace his route through the cycle of his birth, enlightenment, teaching and mahaparinirvana.

The comprehensive itinerary of the Buddhist Circuit Tourist Train takes you to the places associated with each of these stages of the Buddha’s life, namely, Lumbini in Nepal, Bodh Gaya in Bihar, and Sarnath and Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh. The days on which these sites come into the picture are the sixth, second, fourth and fifth days of the eight day schedule, respectively. The tour begins and ends at Delhi, commiserate with the circuitous nature of the Buddhist Circuit Tourist Train journey.

A Detailed Look At The Sites Of The Buddha

Bodh Gaya

After starting from the relatively tranquil Safdarjung Railway Station in Delhi, the Buddhist Circuit TouristTrain travels to Bodh Gaya. Here, under the ancient forebear of the Maha Bodhi Tree that stands at the site today, the erstwhile prince Siddhartha attained bodh, or knowledge, and embarked on a lifelong mission to spread the realizations he had attained.

Hence, Bodh Gaya is revered as the first place where the Buddha came to be, and is considered holy for Jains, too! This city houses various temples dedicated to the Buddha under different ethnicities, like the Thai temple and the Japanese pagoda-style monument and statue.

Rajgir & Nalanda

When the Buddha travelded to preach, the king Bimbisara accorded a place for him to rest, which was Venuvan near Rajgir. There is a World Peace Pagoda (Vishwa Shanti Stupa, in Hindi) at Rajgir which is reached by rope way, adding thrill to the journey! A short ride away are the ruins of the ancient university of Nalanda, besides which have been built new museum premises that detail the life of the Buddha and display many historical artefacts from Rajgir and Nalanda.

Varanasi & Sarnath

Sarnath is revered as the place where the Dhamma was first preached by the Buddha, and the consequent forming of the Sangha. Thus, it is the next stop on the Buddhist Circuit Tourist Train plan. The train itself remains at Varanasi while the guests enjoy a visit to the Dhamek Stupa and Ashokan Pillar in the Sarnath museum, from which the Lion Capital of India, the national emblem, was derived.

Gorakhpur & Kushinagar

When the Buddha had traveled throughout ancient east India following a life of teaching, he lay down for his final rest at Kushinagar, and his mortal remains were cremated at the place where the Ramabhar Stupa now stands, or more accurately, rolls over the landscape. To depict the state of the Buddha as he lay in mahaparinirvana, the statue of the Buddha inside the Parinirvana temple is a Reclining Buddha statue. It is a congregation site for more international Buddhist architecture, like the Wat Thai temple and the Burmese Mahasukhamdada Chin Thargyi Pagoda.

Lumbini (Nepal) & Sravasti

The tour continues by road from Kushinagar, to the birthplace of the Buddha, in the lap of the Himalayan Kingdom, Nepal. Temples dedicated to his mother, Maya Devi, as well as an Ashokan pillar commissioned by the great ruler himself when he visited the birthplace of the Buddha in the 3^rd century BCE are well and truly honored by Buddhists and historians alike. After taking in the serene sights of Lumbini, a return to the rail tracks beckons at Gorakhpur, after which the Buddhist Circuit Tourist Train proceeds to Gonda, which is the disembarking point for the bus journey to and from Sravasti, a leading light in the monastic life of the Buddha. Guests and devotees can bask in the atmosphere of calm, as well as practice meditation in the peaceful environs of the Jetavana and the Ananda Bodhi Tree.

Agra & Delhi

Taking a few steps into the later centuries of Indian history, the Buddhist Circuit Tourist Train chugs on to Agra, which is home to the Wonder of the World – the Taj Mahal. After viewing this monument to love, guests on board the Buddhist Circuit Tourist Train can sit back as they are returned to the point of origin - Safdarjung Railway Station, in main Delhi.