buddhist retreat
Talking about the tour to Buddhist destinations, the name that supercedes others is that of India. All the Buddhists destinations in India are associated with the important events of the Buddha's life, visited by Buddha or later covered into the great Buddhist centers. Visitors coming to India must visit these destination to get the religious experience of the history and significance of Buddhism.
Nalanda: Nalanda 62 km from the Bodhgaya in Bihar, was established in the 5th century AD. Nalanda is popular as the ancient university with the rich library. Lord Buddha had visited the Nalanda several times during his life time. He stayed here at the Pavarika mango groove which was later purchased by the merchants and gifted to the Buddha. But the place became famous as the center of the Buddhist learning during the 5th -12th century AD. It is the first International university with strength of 2,000 teachers and 10,000 monks students from all over the Buddhist world.
Sanchi : Sanchi is 9 km from Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh. It is scattered with numerous Buddhist structures like pillars and stupas. Sanchi is listed as the World Heritage Site. Sanchi was the ancient seat learning and the place of pilgrimage. The Buddha is not represented as the figures in Sanchi, but through the symbols, as was the tradition in the early period of the Buddhism. The place holds the decay of the Buddhist art and architecture for a period of about thirteen hundred years.
Ajanta : The Ajanta caves at the distance of 100 km from the district of Aurangabad in the state of Maharashtra. It was discovered in the 19th century and depict the story of Buddhism. Ajanta has 29 caves that were all built as secluded retreats for the Buddhists monks. The sculptures and paintings of the caves reflect the life of Buddha. The flying Apsara and the image of the preaching Buddha in cave 17 are the two great works in Ajanta. The caves serves as the residence of the Buddha monks for more than 800 years. It is now declared as theWorld Heriatge Site by the UNESCO.
Vikramsila : Vikramsila is the town situated in the state of Bihar. It is also one of the popular Buddhists tourists destination in India. The place has the direct relation with Lord Buddha. The Vikramsila University was founded in the 8th century AD and became the intellectual center for the Tantric Buddhism. The University was built under the patronage of Dharmapala, a Pala King. Also known as Paramsaugata meaning the chief worshiper of the Lord Budddha.
Amravati : Amravati is situated in the Indian state od Andhra Pradesh. It is an excavation site of an ancient Buddhist stupa. It is also famous for the 2000 years old ruins of the Buddhist settlement. It is the sacred pilgrim center for the Buddhist all over the world. Te envoy of the Emperor Ashoka, spread Buddhism in this area and laid the foundation of the Great Stupa at Amravati. The grand carvings depict the scenes of everyday life of Buddha.
Don : Soon after the cremation of Buddha, a dispute arose among the disciples of Buddhaon the issue of the division of the ashes. Eventually a Brahmin Dona, was given the task to divide the ashes of Buddha, which he did to the satisfaction of all the eight disciples. As a reward he was given the vessels of the ashes, which he had divided. He therfore decided to enshrine this vessel in the stupa.
Ellora : There are 34 Buddhist caves at Ellora, conveying the nobility, grace and serenity of Buddha.
The ruins of the ancient Buddhist school are still there in the Ellora caves. The sculptures at Ellora represent the life of Buddha. Ellora caves have been listed in the World Heritage Site.
Bodhgaya : Prience Gautama attained enlightenment in this sacred place under the famous Bodhi tree some 25,000 years ago and came to be known as the Lord Buddha. I is regarded as the major Buddhist pilgrimage center in India.
Lumbini : Lumbini is the sacred birthplace pf Lord Buddha. It is cuddled in the foothills of the great Himalayas near the Indo Nepal Border. It is the place which should be visited by the person in devotion. Lumbini is the important Buddhist pilgrimage center.
Consult http://www.pilgrimage-india.com/ from more information on Buddhist destinations of India.
About the Author:
Manjari Singh is an eminent travel writer, she have authored websites like :
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Famous Buddhist Destinations Of India
