Vaishali
Vaishali
is located 36 km from Muzzafarpur in the state of Bihar. Lord
Buddha often visits this place and preached his last sermon at
Kolhua, a near place. The Buddha was offered a bowl of honey by
a monkey. Emperor Ashoka erected one of his famous lion pillars
here in the 3rd century BC commemorate the event.
Vaishali is also an important site for the followers of Lord
Mahavira 'the Jains', as it is his birthplace.
Places of Interest
- Buddha Stupa 1
- Buddha Stupa 2
- Coronation Tank
- Bawan Pokhar Temple
- Chaumukhi Mahadeva
Sravasti
Another of the most commonly visited places of Buddhist
pilgrimage is Shravasti. It is here that the Buddha is
said to have performed great miracles. One story tells of how on
throwing down the seed of a mango, a great mango tree instantly
arose. Another story tells of how the Buddha stood in the air,
the lower part of his body engulfed in flames, with five hundred
jets of water streaming from the top of his body.
The religious character of Sravasti also comes from the
fact that Lord Mahavira, the founder of Jainism, visited the town
frequently. Apart from this the city also finds mention in the
epics Ramayana and Mahabharata as a prosperous city of the Kosala
Kingdom, this city is said to be founded by the legendary king
Sravasta.
Excavations approved out at Sravasti have also revealed two
pillars raised here by Emperor Ashoka, the great Indian King who
was largely responsible for spreading Buddhism. The pillars, which
lie at the eastern gate of Jetavana, mark Ashoka's pilgrimage to
the city.
Bodhgaya
Bodhgaya
is one of the four most sacred sites of the followers of Buddha.
The structure that draws most tourists here is the Mahabodhi
Temple as it is located near that very spot where Lord
Buddha attained enlightenment.
Along with being an important Buddhism pilgrimage, it is also an
important centre for the study of Buddhism. It is located in the
central part of state of Bihar.
The bodhi tree under which the Buddha sat has been destroyed
both intentionally and naturally many times since this time of
enlightenment. It has continued to re sprout and is visible
today.
Tourist Attraction
- Mahabodhi Temple
- Archaeological Museum
- Meditation Courses
Rajagriha
The first Buddhist committee was
held here after the Buddha attained nirvana. According to
convention, immediately after the Buddha's death, a gathering
of 500 monks took place at Rajagriha in about 487 B.C.
representing a variety of sanghas under the leadership of
Mahakassapa. The assemble monks discussed, collated and
classifieds the discourses of the Buddha into authoritative
canonical texts. Upali and Ananda, two of the Buddha's chief
disciples, said to have recited the Vinaya Pithaka and Sutta
Pitaka in front of the gathering. Historians doubt the
authenticity of this account.
Today, Rajgir is a calm and beautiful place, visited by
pilgrims from all over the world. Nowadays it is also known as
a health resort, thanks to the famous hot springs.
Tourist Attraction
- Gridhakuta
- Ajatashatru's Fort
- Venuvana Vihara
Nalanda
Nalanda,
one of the most centers of learning in the ancient times, is
situated in the eastern Indian state of Bihar. A small village
now, Nalanda is situated around 72 km off Patna, the capital of
Bihar and is part of the Buddhist Circuit that also includes
Bodh Gaya and Rajgir. The university had centers for studies in
Buddhism, Vedas, Logic, Grammar, Medicine, Meta-Physics, Prose
Composition and Rhetoric. Lord Buddha and Lord Mahavira have
also taught here. The university library had a mammoth
collection of 9 million volumes. Nalanda the university
remains are spotted around an area of 14 hectares. Though a
large part of the university has been explored, a huge portion
remains unexcavated. It is believed that the university could
accommodate 10,000 students and 2,000 teachers easily.
Tourist Attraction
- The Nalanda Musuem
- Nava Nalanda Mahavihar
- Lauria Nandangarh
Kushinagar
Kushinagar,
one of the main centers of Buddhist pilgrimage is the place of
Mahaparinrvana. The memorial of Kushinagar are located in three
distinct comprising in the main site of the Nirvana Temple
houses over 6 meter long statue of the reclining Buddha The
image was unearthed during the excavations in 1876.
It
was once a famous center of the Malla kingdom. Many of its stupas
and viharas date back to 230 BC to AD 413, when its prosperity was
at the peak. The Mauryan emperor Ashoka additional grandeur to
this place by getting the wonderful statue of Buddha carved on a
single piece of red stonework. Fa Hien, Huen Tsang, and I-tsing,
the three famous Chinese scholar travelers to India, had visited
Kushinagar.
With the decline of Buddhism, however, Kushinagar lost its
importance and suffered much neglect. It was only in the last
century that Lord Alexander Cunningham excavated many important
remnants of the main site such as the Mathakaur and Ramabhar
stupa. Today, people from all over the world visit Kushinagar.
Many national and international society and groups have
conventional their centers here.
Tourist Attraction
- Nirvana Stupa
- Nirvana Temple
- Mathakuar Shrine
- Ramabhar Stupa
- Japanese Temple
- Kushinagar Museum
- Japanese Garden
- Buddha Vihar
- Wat Thai Temple
- Chinese Temple
- Meditation Park
- Birla Temple
- International Buddha Trust
Sarnath ( Varanasi )
Sarnath
is one of the major Buddhist centers.
After attaining explanation at Bodh Gaya, Buddha came to Sarnath
to preach his message of the middle way to final nirvana.
There are many Buddhist monument and edifices in Sarnath.
Some of the important Buddhist monuments at Sarnath are the
Dhamekha stupa, the Chaukhandi stupa and monasteries and temples
of different schools of Buddhism from Japan, China, Thailand,
Burma and others. The Indian Buddhist society called Mahabodhi
Society maintains a park around the Buddha temple. The Mahabodhi
Temple within the park has a tooth relic of the Buddha.
There is also a vast expanse of ancient ruins at Sarnath. Several
Buddhist structure were raised at Sarnath between the 3rd century
BC and the 11th century AD, and today it presents the most
expansive ruins between places on the Buddhist trail. The Ashoka
pillar of Sarnath is the National emblem of India.
Sarnath contains a rich
library and at the Mula gandha Kutir Vihara there are excellent
frescoes by Kosetsu Nosu. The Sarnath Museum, not far from the
site, contains some of the finest specimens of Buddhist sculpture.
At
all centers of Buddhist worship, the Vaisakha (April-May) full
moon is observed as the anniversary of three important events -
the Buddha's birth, explanation and death, while the Asadh (July -
August) full moon is observed as the anniversary of his first
sermon.
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