Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Varanasi, Varanasi, Varanasi District, Uttar Pradesh
Pickup from Varanasi Airport/ Railways Station/ Hotel located in Varanasi after your breakfast/ Lunch and drive to Bodhgaya. [250 KM/ 5 hrs]
Duration: 5 hours
Stop At: Bodh Gaya, Bodh Gaya, Gaya District, Bihar
Bodhgaya is one of the four holiest places for the Buddhists around the world. It was the place where the prince Siddhartha received the divine knowledge and became the 'enlightened' Buddha and entered into meditation after being moved by the sufferings of mankind. Situated in the southern Bihar, Bodh Gaya is often visited by the Dalai Lama and other Lamas (Buddhist religious heads) from Dharmashala, and thus, make it clear that it is not merely a historical site, but a vibrant centre of a living faith.
Other temples and monastery: A number of Tibetan, Japanese and Burmese monasteries are located around the Maha Bodhi temple. The Tibetan monastery houses the massive Dharma Chakra or the Wheel of Law, while the Japanese monastery is famous for conducting vital discourse on Buddhism.
Duration: 1 day
Stop At: Mahabodhi Temple, Bihar 824231, Bodh Gaya 824231 India
Mahabodhi Temple: Bodhgaya is the home to the ancient temple of Lord Buddha, located just east of the Bodhi tree. The temple's architecture is superb and has a beautiful stone railing around it. The Maha Bodhi temple has a 150 feet high tower, which contains a gilded colossal image of the Buddha in the 'bhumisparsha mudra' or touching the ground pose. The original shrine here is believed to have been raised by an Indian emperor Ashoka. Depicted on the walls of the temple are scenes from Buddha's life. The basement of the present temple is 15m square, 15m in length as well as in breadth and its height is 52m which rises in the form of a slender pyramid tapering off from a square platform. A museum in the vicinity has gold, bronze and stone images of the Buddha.
It was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2002
Duration: 2 hours
Pass By: Bodhi Tree, Bodh Gaya India
Bodhi tree is an auspicious ficus tree, the fifth generation plant of the original one, under which prince Siddhartha had attained enlightenment or the perfect knowledge. Under the tree is the Vajrasan, the platform on which Siddhartha had sat in meditation. Close to Vajrasan is Buddhapada, the footprints of the Buddha on stone and Chaukramana, the Jewel Walk, where it is believed that the Buddha strolled while in deep thought. Many sacred trees in India and other countries are originally raised from seeds brought from the ancient Bodh Gaya tree. Bhikkhuni Sanghamitra, daughter of the Indian emperor, Ashoka had taken a shoot of the original Bodhi tree to Sri Lanka in the 3rd century BCE, where it was planted by the Sri Lankan ruler, Devanampiya Tissa at the Mahavira monastery in Anuradhapura, and is still a sacred place for the Buddhists.