India Luxury Tours

Buddhist Pilgrimage Tour

Duration: 17 Nights / 18 Days
Places Covered: Kathmandu – Lumbini – Kapilavastu – Kushinagar – Varanasi - Sarnath – Bodh Gaya – Rajgir - Patna - Delhi

Day1 - Arrive Kathmandu
Welcome on arrival at Kathmandu and transfer to hotel.

Day2 - Kathmandu
Breakfast. Full day guided tour Kathmandu visiting the Pashupatinath temple, the Durbar Square and the Bhaktapur town. Overnight at hotel

Day3 - Kathmandu – Lumbini {Bhairahawa (flight)}
After breakfast, transfer to airport to catch flight to Bhairahawa. On arrival, transfer to hotel at Lumbini, 25 kms away. Afternoon, take a guided tour of Lumbini, declared a World Heritage Site. Visit the Sacred Gardens, Ashoka pillar and Lumbini Museum. Overnight at hotel.

Day4 - Lumbini – Kushinagar (148 kms)
Breakfast at hotel. Drive then to Kushinagar via Kapilavastu. 91 kms from Lumbini is Kapilavastu, where Lord Buddha spent the formative years of his youth; where he saw suffering and pain, disease and death. Visit the main stupa complex, eastern stupa and the ruins of the palace. Drive then to Kushinagar - the place where Buddha passed into Parinirvana.

Day5 - Kushinagar – Varanasi (260 kms / 6 hrs)
Breakfast at hotel. Half day guided tour of Kushinagar visiting the Ramabha stupa, which stands, on the spot where the body of the Lord was cremated. Also visit Natha Kumarka Kot enshrining the large recumbent figure of Buddha in the state of Nirvana. Drive to Varanasi. Overnight at hotel.

Day6 - Varanasi
After breakfast, a half-day guided tour to Sarnath - the principle centre of Buddhism. It was here around 530 B.C that Buddha preached his 1st sermon after gaining enlightenment. Visit the Choukhandi Stupa, Dhamekh and Dharmarajika stupas. Return to Varanasi. Afternoon visit the ghats and temples. Overnight at hotel.

Day7 - Varanasi – Bodh Gaya (242 Kms / 6 hrs)
Breakfast. Drive to Bodh Gaya - one of the holiest Buddhist pilgrimage centres. It was here that Gautama attained enlightenment and became Buddha under the "Bodhi" tree. On arrival check into hotel. Evening free for relaxation. Overnight at hotel.

Day8 - Bodhgaya – Rajgir (193 kms / 4 hrs & 30 mins)
After breakfast, a half-day guided tour of Bodh Gaya visiting the Bodhi tree, Satabodhi temple, Japanese and Tibetan monasteries along with Magadha University museum are also visited. Enroute to Rajgir, stopover at the Baraliar caves - the earliest examples of rock cut caves. Most impressive craftsmanship of carving and rock inscription can be seen. These caves served as inspiration for the setting of E.M Foresters "A Passage to India". Arrive Rajgir and overnight at hotel.

Day9 - Rajgir
Breakfast at hotel. Drive down to Rajgir the capital of 6th century Magadha Empire. It was revered site of Buddha’s discourses. Buddha spent many years here. Visit Gridhrakula, Sapataparni cave, Ajatsatru fort and Venuvana. Afternoon visit Nalanda - the world's oldest university founded in the 5th century. Also visit monasteries and temples with impressive Buddhist & Hindu images. The Institute for research into Buddhism and Pali literature, which houses rare manuscripts, is also worth visiting for the enthusiasts. Archaeological museum is also not to be missed for the rare collections. Overnight at hotel.

Day10 - Rajgir – Patna (102 kms / 2.5 hrs)
Breakfast at hotel. Drive down to Patna - 2500-year-old ancient city. Afternoon excursion to Vaishali where Lord Buddha preached his last sermon announcing his approaching Nirvana. Visit stupas holding urns containing ashes of Buddha and Ashok pillar erected by Emperor Ashoka to mark places sanctified by Buddha. The place is also known now for famous Madhubani paintings. Overnight at hotel.

Day11 - Patna – Delhi (flight)
Breakfast. Transfer to airport to catch flight to Delhi. On arrival at Delhi, check into hotel. Afternoon tour of the historic city of old Delhi to include Jama Masjid, largest mosque in Asia, both built by Shahjahan, Rajghat-memorial to Mahatma Gandhi and the magnificent Red Fort Stay over for the Son-et-Lumiere at Red Fort (optional). Overnight at hotel.

Day12 - Depart Delhi
After breakfast, a half-day tour of New Delhi to include Humanyun Tomb, Qutab Minar, India Gate, Birla Mandir and Bahai Temple. Return to hotel for wash-n-change and transfer to airport for connecting flight.





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