Buddhist Tour in India: 16-Day Pilgrimage to Sacred Buddhist Sites
  • Duration

    Duration

    16 Days
  • Destination Covered

    Destination Covered

    Delhi, Varanasi, Agra, Bodhgaya, Rajgir, Kathmandu, Patna, Nalanda, Vaishali, Kushinagar, Lumbini, Sravasti, Lucknow
  • Places

    Places

    13 Places

Overview

In India, there are so many Buddhist places of interest that you will find it difficult for you to pick a few places that best suit you. It is also not possible for you to understand or even know the significance of this place in Buddhism by just visiting it. It will be necessary for you to have someone besides you who will enlighten you on the significance of the place and the role that it plays in facilitating the preaching of Buddhism.

Get Expert Advice & free Quote

    What is your answer 6 + 5

    Day By Day Itinerary

    • DAY 1

      icon

      Reach Mumbai

      Upon arrival at Mumbai, our representative will meet up with you at the airport. You will be transferred to a hotel for an overnight stay.

      icon
    • DAY 2

      icon

      Mumbai

      In the morning, after having breakfast, you will visit the Elephant Caves and a one hour ride on a boat across the Mumbai Harbor which brings you to the luxuriant Green Elephanta Island. At this location, you will tour some of the enormous and obscurely curved Elephanta Caves that date way back to the 8th century. In the afternoon, you will be accorded a city tour of Bombay. Here you will be able to view spectacular scenes like the ‘Gateway of India’ which overlooks the harbor, the ‘Towers of Silence’, ‘marine drive’, the ‘Colaba Causeway’ – Bombay’s commercial heart and also the Dhobi Ghat which is an exceptional and vibrant outdoor ‘laundry’
      At the Malaba hill, specifically, the exquisite ‘Hanging Valleys’ together with the Kamla Nehru Park, you will be able to get an amazing view of Mumbai and the Arabian Sea. You should also tour the busy Crawford Market and the Mani Bhawan, a small museum set up in dedication to the life and works of Mahatma Gandhi. The overnight is spent at a hotel.

      icon
    • DAY 3

      icon

      Mumbai Aurangabad

      Transfer to the airport to connect flight takes place in the morning. Afterwards, you should visit the Ajanta Caves whose location is at 100km a 21/2 hour drive northwards towards the east of Arangabad in the valley of Waghora. They are 30 splendid rock cut caves that whose history is traced back to 2nd BC -7th AD. They are entirely Buddhist and unique due to the fact that they combine three art forms namely; sculpture, architecture and painting. The site is closed on Mondays.

      icon
    • DAY 4

      icon

      Aurangabad- Bhopal

      In the morning, you should tour the Ellora Caves which are 30km from Aurangabad. They are fine rock cut cave temples of the Ellora. They date back to the 10th and 11th century. They cover three religions; Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism. Out of the 34 caves that serve both as monasteries and temples, the most remarkable is the splendid Kailasa temple. It took over a century to curve out the structure from a monolith.

      In the afternoon, you should move to Bhusaval Railway Station to catch an overnight train for Bhopal. On Tuesdays, the Ellora caves are closed.

      icon
    • DAY 5

      icon

      Bhopal-Agra

      You will get to visit the Saanchi Stupa. Many Buddhist tourists visit this tranquil hill which is capped by a collection of stupas, monasteries, temples and pillars which date back to between the 3rd century BC and the 12th century AD. In the afternoon depart from Bhopal on Bhopal Shtabdi Express for Agra. Reach Agra in the evening and spend the night at hotel.

      icon
    • DAY 6

      icon

      Agra-Varanasi

      After taking your breakfast, go ahead and take a tour of the city. Visit the glorious TajMahal, a structure which is wholly made of white marble and has walls that are decorated using the fine Pietra Dura (stone inlay). After taking lunch, explore the imposing Agra fort which is constructed out of red sandstone and marble. It is a hilltop citadel which has got remarkable country yards, gates and fountains. TajMahal is closed on all Fridays. In the evening, move to the train station and take an overnight train to Varanasi.

      icon
    • DAY 7

      icon

      In Varanasi

      After arriving in Varanasi, transfer to a hotel. You should afterwards visit the sarnathenroute which is the place where the Lord Buddha delivered the first sermon. Proceed to the city in the afternoon for a tour of the various temples like the Vishwanath temple which was constructed by Birlas but was planned by PanditMadan Mohan Malaviya. At Bharat, pop into the Mata Temple Houses which instead of gods and goddesses, have an enormous relief map of the whole Indian subcontinent in marble. There is also the TulsiManas temple which was put up in 1964 as a dedication to Lord Rama. In the evining, have a tour of the Aart ceremony on the Ghats. Spend the night at a hotel.

      icon
    • DAY 8

      icon

      Varanasi/ Bodhgaya

      In the morning, observe the lifestyle of the pilgrims by the Ghat by taking a boat cruise at the river Ganges. We afterwards drive to Bodhgaya. After arriving here, check in at a hotel. Bodh gaya is the most sacrosanct Buddhist’s place. This is due to the fact that it has a Peepul tree beneath which Guatam the Buddha got clarification about 2500 years ago. Spend the night at a hotel.

      icon
    • DAY 9

      icon

      Bodh Gaya

      Take breakfast then proceed to a sightseeing tour of Bodh gaya touring the Mahabodhi Temple which depicts the various stages of the journey of Buddha in search for enlightenment that shows dissimilar features of his life. A small connection of Buddhist sculpture dating back from the 1st century BC to the 11th century AD is hosted at the Bodhgaya Archaeological Museum. The four armed statues of Shiva arealso close by in the Jagganath Temple. An overnight stay at a hotel is inevitable.

      icon
    • DAY 10

      icon

      Bodhgaya/Patna

      Drive to Patna after breakfast. Have an enroute visit to the Gridhakuta Hill and also the Bimbisara Jail in Rajgir. Advance to Nalnada which is 14 km from Rajgir which holds a place as onbe of the oldest universities of the world and a Buddhist Center of Studies. Later, reach Patna. After lunch, tour the HarMandir Sahib which is also referred to as the Patna Sahib consecrates. It is the location where the 10th Guru of the Sikhs Guru Gobind Singh was born back in the 1776. There is also a large dome like structure known as the Golhar. Here, an individual can have a serene view o the Ganga together with the surroundings of the city. A rich collection of the Mauryan and Buddhist sculptures, terracotta and other interesting items are found at the Patna Museum. Stay at a hotel for the night.

      icon
    • DAY 11

      icon

      Patna/Kushinagar

      Drive to Kushinagar in the morning. Upon arrival, check into a hotel. Afterwards, we visit the Rambhar Stupa, a place that marks the cremation ground of Lord Budha. The second stop comes in at Mahaparinirvana Temple. It is home to the recumbent figure of the Lord Buddha. Spend the night at a hotel.

      icon
    • DAY 12

      icon

      Kushinagar/Saravasti (Balrampur)

      Drive to Balrampur in the morning. Check in to a hotel upon arrival. Visit the Sahet Mahet in the afternoon. Stay at a hotel overnight.

      icon
    • DAY 13

      icon

      Saravasti/Lumbini

      Drive to Lumbini in the morning. After reaching the place, check into a hotel. Buddha was born here 2500 years ago. Take a day rest at Leisure and proceed to spend the night at a hotel.

      icon
    • DAY 14

      icon

      Lumbini/Kathmandu (by flight)

      Take a half a day sightseeing tour of Lumbini and afterwards get to the airport and take a flight destined for Kathmandu- the Buddha Air Flight. Transfer to a hotel after arrival at Kathmandu. Green hills and mountains with snow-capped peaks and a beautiful valley on the northern and eastern background surround Kathmandu. Spend the night at a hotel.

      icon
    • DAY 15

      icon

      Kathmandu

      Embark on a city tour of Kathmandu after breakfast. Visit the Pashupatinath Temple which is by far the most sanctified of all the Hindu temples in Nepal. It is a dedication to Lord Shiva and was erected in 1696. Proceed to Patan, an architecture city with fine arts. On certain occasions, it is referred to as the ‘Town with a Thousand Golden Roofs’. Tour the Tibetan Handicraft centre at Jawalakhel and watch carpet weaving.

      After lunch, take a sightseeing visit of the Swayambhunath which is the oldest Buddhist shrine. One can also see the entire Kathmandu valley spread out below while looking east from here. You will reach Boudhanath after a short drive. It is a world with the largest stupa and a sight of great reverence to the Buddhist. Proceed to the Kathmandu Durbar square which is a temple of the Living Goddess and also stands as the old royal palace; visit the Kasthamandup, a temple constructed from a single tree from which the name Kathmandu is derived. Take an overnight stay at a hotel.

      icon
    • DAY 16

      icon

      Kathmandu - Onwards Journey

      Get to the airport and take a connecting flight for the upcoming destination.

      icon

    Inclusions

    Price Guide

    Hotels

    Other Info

    What Our Travellers Say