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 From Siddharth to Sakyamuni and
finally to the Buddha or the Enlightened one is an incredible transformation. He walked
the earth over 2500 years ago. Upon seeing infirmity, old age and death, the young prince
Siddharth decided to discover the root cause and the means of overcoming them. Thus
renouncing worldly pleasures, he travelled from place to place until finally attained
enlightenment by meditation under the Bodhi Tree. He then preached the truth, the
Eight-Fold Path for the cessation of the endless cycle of births. Several major Buddhist
sites are described in the ensuing paragraphs.
 Kapilavastu: 110 km from Gorakhpur in Uttar
Pradesh, Kapilavastu (Piprahwa) on the Gorakhpur Gonda loop-line with Naugarh (35 km) is
the nearest railway station. The capital city of the Sakya clan, and one of the earliest
republics, it was in Kapilavastu's opulent environs that prince Siddharth spent his life
before renunciation. The place is important for Buddhist pilgrims and has several
Stupas.
The archaeological excavations have revealed stone caskets containing relics believed to
be that of Buddha's.
 Bodhgaya: In Bihar, the most
important Buddhist pilgrimage centre, is the place where Lord Budhha attained Nirvana. The
giant Bodhi Tree (peepal) that we see today is believed to have grown from the original
one. Then there is Chaukramana, the Jewel Walk, where it is believed that the Buddha
strolled while in deep thought. The magnificent Maha bodhi temple in Bodhgaya is an
architectural amalgamation of many cultures. The temple carries inscriptions recording the
visits of pilgrims from Sri Lanka, China and Mayanmar in the 7th and 10th Centuries A.D.
Hieun Tsang, the Chinese traveller, also visited the temple in the 7th Century.
Adjacent to the Mahabodhi temple is the Shaivite Monastery
with its cluster of four temples. Not far from the Monastery is Jagannath Temple. Finally,
a visit to the Bodhgaya Archaelolgical Museum is a must for every art lover.
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The Buddhist
sculpture collection from 1st Century B.C. to 11 the Century A.D. is housed here. Bodhgaya
is 245 km from Varanasi and 178 km from Patna via Rajgir and Nalanda.
 Gaya: A place of religious sanctity
for Hindus, Gaya lies 12 km from Bodhgaya between Pretshila and Ramshila hills and is on
the shores of river Phalgu. Gaya too has a large number of Buddhist temples. The legend
has it that while Buddha was doing severe penance, he became weak and hungry. A condemned
woman by name Sujata offered him food. To everybody's surprise Buddha accepted her
offering. After partaking the food, Buddha's countenance assumed a divine glow. Sujata
Sthan or Durgeshwari Temple stands as a symbol commemorating this event. In the vicinity
are several tourist spots such as Surya Temple at Deo, the Sun God Temple at
Umya,
Konchishwar Maha Deva Temple at Konch, Barabar Caves, and Buddhist rock-cut caves of 3rd
Century B.C. at Sasaram.
Sarnath:
About 10 km from the holy city of Varanasi, it is the place where Buddha delivered his
first sermon after attaining Nirvana, to his first five disciples. Emperor Ashoka (273-232
B.C) converted to Buddhism after the Kalinga war and also visited Sarnath. A smooth
glistening stone pillar, called the Ashoka Pillar commemorates his visit.
Rajgir:
Meaning 'the royal Palace', (Raja Griha) it lies 12 km south of Patna.
 Kaushambi:
Buddha visited Kaushambi and delivered several sermons here, elevating it to a centre of
learning.
Kushinagar: A
revered place for Buddhist pilgrims, 55km away from Gorakhpur. It was here that the
Tathagata, the reciter of truth, breathed his. A temple dedicated to the event - the
Mahaparinirvana temple stands here today.
Sravasti:
Situated 134 km from Lucknow and 29 km from Balarampur, Sravasti, the capital of the
ancient kingdom of Kosala, which sheltered Buddha for 24 rainy seasons.
The above list is by no means exhaustive. But has made an
attempt to cover the most significant Buddhist sites, and is sufficient to whet the
appetite.
D. Vidhya
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