Inspiration- I am born in a Buddhist family but it took me several years to begin my journey on the trail crossing through several mountains, monasteries and realms of my own mind.
Last year the students association of Spiti presented me a book named “Old Path White Clouds” by Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk. This book presents the life and teachings of Gautama Buddha. Drawn directly from 24 Pali, Sanskrit, and Chinese sources, and retold by Thich Nhat Hanh in his inimitably beautiful style, this book traces the Buddha's life slowly and gently over the course of 80 years, partly through the eyes of Svasti, the buffalo boy, and partly through the eyes of the Buddha himself. The book gently takes the reader from Kapilvastu to Lumbini and further to the banks of Neranjara River, Bodhi Tree, Uruvela, Rajgir, Vaishali, Kushinagar, Kosambi and Campa etc. places which were frequently visited by Buddha and important retreat places like Bamboo Grove monastery, Jetavana, Deer Park and Vulture Peak monastery etc. are very nicely described.
Following the footsteps of Buddha, the story teller of this trip makes the journey as lively as possible. He tries to take the fellow travelers 2500 years back through his stories. In the vicinity of Uruvela, it is heart touching to imagine that hundred years back somewhere on this land Gautama was found by a girl Sujata in unconscious form…..
We strongly suggest you to use our email address info@adventureindiagroup.com for sending your queries directly to us. It is less time consuming than using booking forms. You can give missed call at 919736102222 and our office will call you back if you can't send email.
We strongly suggest you to use our email address info@adventureindiagroup.com for sending your queries directly to us. It is less time consuming than using booking forms. You can give missed call at 919736102222 and our office will call you back if you can't send email.
Day 01: Arrive Delhi - on your arrival; you will be received by our office manager who will further assist you to your hotel in Delhi.
Day 02: Delhi - Varanasi by air- Morning you will again be meeting our office manager to join to the Delhi airport for a flight to Varanasi starting at 0930 and reaching Varanasi at 1100 hours and move to your hotel. The day will be full of sightseeing activities including the old city which stands on the west bank of the sacred Ganges and extends back from the Ghats in a winding maze of narrow streets. A principle attraction is the long string of bathing Ghats where pilgrims make their morning cleansing wash in the river. Also there are the burning Ghats where cremations are undertaken.
Day 03: Varanasi with Sarnath excursion- This morning you will visit the Ghats of Varanasi for an unforgettable sunrise over the River Ganges. Later you will leave for a full day tour of the holy city of Sarnath. Sarnath holds the distinction of being the venue of the first sermon by Lord Buddha. Here, you will visit various Buddhist stupas and Buddhist temples and the Sarnath temple. By late evening, you will return to your hotel in Varanasi.
Day 04: Varanasi- Bodhgaya (274 Kms) - Morning we drive to Bodhgaya, one of the holiest Buddhist pilgrimage centers in the state of Bihar. It was here that Gautama attained enlightenment and became Buddha under the "Bodhi" tree. On arrival, we check in to our hotel and later visit Mahabodhi Temple & Bodhi Tree. The magnificent World Heritage-listed Mahabodhi Temple, where Buddha attained enlightenment and formulated his philosophy of life, forms the spiritual heart of Bodhgaya. Within the temple complex entrance is a bookshop with a range of Buddhist literature.
Day 05: Bodhgaya -Morning sightseeing tour of main temple, Kala Charka Ground, Dhungeshori, Niranjana River, Sujata Village and Sujata Temple where Sujata, the girl of village chief, offered milk to Gautama when he was found unconscious. Another attraction is a 25m-high Great Buddha Statue towers above a pleasant garden at the end of Temple The impressive monument was unveiled by the Dalai Lama in 1989, and is surrounded by 10 smaller sculptures of Buddha’s disciples. The statue is partially hollow and is said to contain some 20,000 bronze Buddhas.
Day 06: Bodhgaya - Nalanda – (103 Kms) - Rajgir (39 Kms) - Morning we leave Bodhgaya and head towards Nalanda and Rajgir, two prominent places on very original Buddhist trail. Nalanda is world's oldest university founded in the 5th century. At Nalanda you will visit the first university of India and centre of Buddhist education. This ancient city of Nalanda was the center of intellectual activity from the fifth century B.C. to the twelve century A.D. Also visit Hieun Tsang Memorial Hall, The remnants of Nalanda University.
Day 07: Rajgir full day excursion - Rajgir was capital of 6th century Magadha Empire and was revered site of Buddha's discourses. Buddha spent many years here. Jail of Bimbisara, Pippala cave, newly constructed Vishwa Shanti Stupa and many more places are there to visit in Rajgir this day. About 5km south of town, a wobbly, single-person ropeway that leads uphill to the Shanti Stupa and Monasteries built by the Japanese Devotees of the Buddha on top of the Ratnagiri hill.
Day 08: Rajgir – Vaishali (149 Kms) – Morning we drive to Vaishali and check into our hotel before we move out to explore this important place on Buddha footstep list. Most sites in Vaishali surround a large tank. Dominating the skyline is a gleaming, modern Japanese Peace Pagoda, while opposite is a small museum presenting a collection of clay and terracotta figures plus an intriguing 1st- to 2nd-century AD toilet pan with appropriately sized exit holes. Nearby are the ground-floor remains of a stupa that contained Buddha’s ashes that now reside in Patna Museum. It was here that the Buddha announced the approaching of his Mahaparinirvana.
Day 09: Vaishali – Kushinagar (169 Kms)- After breakfast, we start our story telling journey with exploration in person to Kushinagar- the last of the four main pilgrimage sites marking Buddha’s life. We check into our hotel and later move for an extra ordinary sightseeing. Kushinagar is where Buddha died, breathing his last words: ‘All things must pass. Work out your own salvation with diligence’. According to a Buddhist text, when he died ‘the earth shook, stars shot from the heavens, the sky in the 10 directions burst forth in flames and the air filled with celestial music’. Devotees from several countries have built temples here to accommodate monks and the pilgrims who visit this holy site. The sites of interest are strung out along Buddha Marg, a peaceful, green area of town with a suitably reverent atmosphere. A nice Buddha Museum, which exhibits Buddhist relics, sculptures and terracotta unearthed from the Kushinagar region, as well as some Tibetan Thangkas (rectangular painting on cloth) and Mughal miniature paintings. We visit the Mahaparinirvana Temple that houses the world famous reclining statue of Buddha. It is the most important site to visit in Kushinagar.
Day 10: Kushinagar – Lumbini (161 Kms) - Early morning we leave Kushinagar and drive to Lumbini As the historical birthplace of Gautama Siddhartha Buddha, Lumbini is one of the most important religious sites in the world. The man, who would later achieve enlightenment under a Bodhi tree, inspiring a global philosophy of peace and reflection, was born under a Sal tree in Lumbini in the month of May in 563 BC. We visit at the centre of Lumbini is the Maya Devi Temple, which marks the exact spot where Queen Maya Devi of Kapilvastu gave birth to Gautama Siddhartha. Surrounding the temple is a sacred garden containing the Pillar of Ashoka as well as the ruined foundations of dozens of ancient stupas and monasteries. Normally the pilgrims and Buddhist scholars here come in a slow, respectful trickle and many stay on to meditate in the monasteries surrounding the sacred site.
Day 11: Lumbini full day excursion with Kapilvastu (23 Kms one way) - The day’s journey to Kapilvastu is short but meaningful because this is the place where Buddha spent his 29 years of life as Siddhartha. Sightseeing Tour of Ancient Kapilvastu includes Tilaurakot (A joint effort by Nepali and Japanese archeologists recovered the royal town of Tilaurakot, the elaborate gateway in the western side, the twin stupa of the Buddha's parents, and King Suddhodhan's palace in and around the Tilaurakot mound) Kudan (Kudan4 km south of Tilaurakot is a huge mound of structural ruins and a pond nearby appears to be the ruins of stupas and monasteries. It is said to be the Kasaya Stupa, where a Kasaya (yellow robe worn by monks) was presented to Lord Buddha where King Suddhodhana met Lord Buddha for the first time after he returned from Enlightenment), Gotihawa (3 km southwest of Taulihawa is historically and archaeologically important religious and archaeological site for the Buddhism. It is believed that Krakuchanda Buddha, who came before Shakyamuni Buddha, was born in Gotihawa and attained Nirvana here).
Day 12: Lumbini – Sravasti (159 Kms) – Today we proceed in the morning to another part of the Buddha trail, Sravasti. The Buddha passed the greater part of his monastic life in Savatthi. Of the ancient Savatthi, the city walls are still standing, within these, the remains of 3 ancient buildings can be visited: Angulimala's stupa, Anathapindika's stupa, and an old temple dedicated to a Jain Tirthankar. The site of Jetavana monastery is the main pilgrim destination, with meditation and chanting mainly done at the Gandhakuti (Buddha's hut) and the Anandabodhi tree. Buddhist monasteries from the following countries have been constructed at Sravasti: Thailand, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Tibet and China.
Day 13: Sravasti- Full day to spend at Jetavana monastery.
Day 14: Sravasti - Lucknow (170 Kms) - Delhi by air – Morning we drive to Lucknow, a stylish city of India and reach airport to board one hour flight for Delhi. We will reach Delhi and drive to your hotel either for the full night stay or according to your international flight connection.
We strongly suggest you to use our email address info@adventureindiagroup.com for sending your queries directly to us. It is less time consuming than using booking forms. You can give missed call at 919736102222 and our office will call you back if you can't send email.
Getting there: Your nearest international airport is Delhi where you will meet with our safari manage who will escort you towards the initial point of your adventure as per the program details with the first night in Delhi hotel. For Sikkim and Bhutan Holidays, the airport of Kolkata is also used to arrive India.
Air tickets: We have our partners in almost every foreign countries, so if you need any assistance in your air tickets bookings, you are always welcome to speak to us to know about our partner close to you.
Ground transportation: We provide the ground transportation comprising of best available cars/ coaches during the safaris. The high altitude safaris get 4WD cars of Toyota and Mahindra. For the wild life tours, we offer you open jeeps/ covered jeeps and canters.
Insurance: It is a condition of joining our trips that you must be adequately insured. All persons are expected to arrange their own insurance. Polices should cover any potential risks involved in such adventure.
Our hotels and camps: We offer you best economy hotels in cities and towns very comfortable tents with maximum possible facilities in the mountains and deserts during the safaris. We provide the most luxurious camps fitted with dining areas and modern toilet facilities.
Adventure India briefing: We have excellent maps, images and movies of majority of our adventure expeditions/ journeys and sports. A short briefing in our offices is highly recommended for the high altitude and tough journeys, so the team understands logistics, forecast problems and know where the solutions would be. We stress on planning, planning and planning in any adventure expedition and till now we have remained successful in all of our expeditions just because of our planning. So we need you to be an active part of it.
Refreshments & Food: We offer a mixture of Vegetarian and Non vegetarian food during the safaris including several herbs we have individually discovered with the medicinal values. We have cooks who make Korean, Japanese and Continental food along with Indian food. We provide enough refreshments during the safaris including a hot bowl of soup at 5325 meters of worlds’ second highest motorable mountain top.
Our guides & escorts: Our guides and escorts have year’s long experience with them of adventure journeys. We use local guides in even small places of Spiti and Zanskar to boost them, encourage them and train them so they find tourism helpful in supporting economically. Secondly, we wish our clients to have the experience of extreme local life through them, every guide has his own style.
Ground Support system: We are well equipped with ground support system in case of any need, natural calamities and disaster. A wonderful local support team in entire mountains has been developed.
Restricted area/ inner line/ wildlife zone permission: we obtain inner line permits for you to enter in restricted areas and border areas as per the government rules. You need to send your passport, visa and passport size photograph for the same. The permissions to enter in national parks and sanctuaries for wildlife safaris are necessary to confirm well in advance but at few parks, the visitors (you) are required to present and permissions are obtained on arrival.
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