Destination: India
LONELY PLANET'S OFFICIAL ITINERARY INFORMATION
Itinerary: The Buddhist Circuit
The Buddhist (or Lotus) Circuit is a pilgrims' trail that follows in the footsteps of Lord Buddha, wending its way primarily through Bihar, where Buddha spent most of his time.
Begin in Bodhgaya at the most sacred of all Buddhist sites, the Mahabodhi Temple, which rises next to the very spot Prince Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment and became the Buddha more than 2500 years ago. Find inner peace beneath the temple's Bodhi Tree, or through a meditation course before heading northeast to Rajgir, where Buddha spent considerable time. From Rajgir, visit the ruins of Nalanda, an ancient seat of learning and important Buddhist centre. Head northwest to Patna to glimpse sculptures from Buddhist sites around Bihar at the Patna Museum. From here you can also do an excursion to Vaishali, where Buddha preached his final sermon, and Kesariya, where he left his followers and begging bowl behind while travelling to his Nepali birthplace in Lumbini (for those visiting Nepal, Lumbini can also be included in this circuit) for his impending death. He died short of the border at Kushinagar, in Uttar Pradesh, which you can visit after stopping at Sarnath, near Varanasi, where Buddha first preached his 'middle way' message after achieving enlightenment.
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