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Walking with the Buddha: Buddhist Pilgrimages in India


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The Buddha

Since earliest times, pilgrimage to sacred sites has been an important aspect of Buddhist spiritual practice. The most important Buddhist pilgrimage sites are the Four Holy Sites associated with the four most important events in the life of the Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. Several other sites the Buddha visited during his lifetime are also visited by Buddhist pilgrims.

The Four Holy Sites

	Bodhgaya, India Site of the Buddha's enlightenment. After Guatama had nearly killed himself with fasting and self-denial to no avail, he settled down beneath a tree and vowed not to move until he had attained enlightenment. Finally, he did understand the meaning of life and became the Buddha, the "Enlightened One."
	Lumbini, Nepal The birthplace of the Buddha. He was born a prince and was sheltered from the outside world until an eventful journey in which he witnessed the "Four Sights" - an old man, a sick man, a poor man, and a corpse. This led him to leave his life of luxury to seek the meaning of life through meditation and self-denial.
	Kushinagar (Kusinara), India Kushinagar is the place of the Buddha's death, or passing into nirvana. Along a journey, accompanied by his disciples, the Buddha announced his time had come and lay down. He lapsed into a peaceful meditative state, then passed into Nirvana in that reclined position. The Buddha's parinirvana, as this event is called, represents the ideal death for a Buddhist and is frequently depicted in Buddhist art.
	Sarnath, India Site of the Buddha's first sermon. Shortly after his enlightenment, the Buddha shared what he had learned with a small gathering of friends in a deer park at modern-day Sarnath. This event is known as "the turning of the wheel of the Dharma" - here the Buddha set in motion the teachings of Buddhism that would spread throughout the world. Sarnath is located near the Hindu holy city of Varanasi.

Other Sites Associated with the Buddha (all in India)

• Champanagar
  A lakeside town off the beaten path where the Buddha gave several important discourses.
• Gaya
  A large city and one of the seven sacred cities of Hinduism. Here the Buddha preached his famous Fire Sermon, part of which was incorporated into T.S. Eliot's poem The Wasteland.
• Indasala Cave
  A remote and beautiful cave to which Sakka came to ask Buddha his eight questions, and the Buddha gave the Sakkapanha Sutta in response.
• Jethian
  Where the Buddha and King Bimbisara first met. The king came out to greet the Buddha while he and his disciples were on their way to Rajgir to meet him.
• Kapilavatthu
  Town where Prince Siddhartha grew up, with ruins of temples and monasteries. The Buddha taught the Madhupindika Sutta here.
• Kesariya
  Where the Buddha taught the Kalama Sutta.
• Kosambi
  Scene of important events in the Buddha's career.
• Mathura
  Visited once by the Buddha and great center of Buddhist art. The Buddha wasn't too impressed: "Mathura has five disadvantages. What five? The ground is uneven, there is a lot of dust, the dogs are fierce, there are evil spirits and it is difficult to get alms food." But the city later became an important Buddhist center and there is much to see. The site is 58 km from Agra (home of the Taj Mahal).
• Nalanda
  Visited by the Buddha and site of a great Buddhist university.
• Patna
  Visited by the Buddha and scene of the Third Buddhist Council.
• Prabhosa
  The hill where the Buddha spent his sixth rains retreat.
• Pragbodhi ("Prior to Enlightenment")
  Mountain where Prince Siddharta practiced austerities before his enlightenment. The site features a cave where the Buddha may have sheltered, a small temple run by Tibetan monks, remains of ancient stupas, and an excellent view that includes the spire of the Mahabodhi Temple. The Buddha spoke about his quest for truth in the Mahasihanada and Ariyapariyesana Suttas.
• Rajgir
  The largest city in north India in Buddha's time, Rajgir was the scene of several important events in the Buddha's career and the site of the First Council. It is also a Jain pilgrimage site.
• Sankassya
  Where legend says the Buddha descended from the Tusita Heaven. Not a lot to see.
• Savatthi
  The city where the Buddha spent every rainy season for the last 20 years of his life. The site features ruins of many monasteries and beautiful gardens. The Buddha delivered many discourses here, including Kakacupama Sutta, the Vimamsaka Sutta and the Angulimala Sutta.
• Vesali
  Scene of several important events in the Buddha's career.

• Life of the Buddha – ReligionFacts.com
• Pilgrimage to Buddhist India – BuddhaNet: The Buddhist World
• Map of the Land of the Buddha – BuddhaNet: The Buddhist World
• Pilgrim's Guide to India: Places to Go – BuddhaNet: The Buddhist World
• Life of the Buddha – Metropolitan Museum of Art Timeline of Art History
• Venerable Shravasti Dhammika, Middle Land, Middle Way: A Pilgrims' Guide to the Buddha's India.
• Maurice Walshe, Long Discourses of The Buddha.
• Bhikkhu Bodhi, Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha.