Bodhgaya – An Epitome of Buddhist Devotion

Devotees try to find ways to express their devotion. They abstain from comforts, perform chants and ceremonies and dedicate their lives to the lord. Recently 200 Thai devotees along with their king, HH Bhumibol Atulya donated 300 kg of gold to beautify the dome of Bodh Gaya's 1,500-year-old Mahabodhi temple. The holiest shrine of Buddhism, the Great Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya is receiving a gold inlay on the dome. The fine task is being carried out under the team guidance of technical experts from Thailand and ASI officials.

The gold was brought safely from Bangkok to Bodhgaya on a chartered plane. Followed by this, the devotees performed prayers within the temple premises and meditated under the Bodhi Tree. This act of devotion towards the spiritual center of Buddhist faith has drawn a lot of appreciation from the world over. This initiative from the Thai Buddhist followers have certainly beautified the temple and gave it a new look after it was inlaid with gold.

Mr. Sumit Mathur, Director of Top-Travel and Tours appreciated this initiative from Thai Buddhist followers. According to him, "This new, gold plated spire would doubtless attract more Buddhists to the temple.”

Buddhist Train too welcomes this initiative of Thai Buddhists and expresses their gratitude towards their holy act of devotion. Offering only train travel to the Buddhist followers and travellers in India, the company is also dedicated to welcome the visitors from the world over to the spiritual site of Bodhgaya after gold inlay. 

Nalanda – The Glorious Buddhist Train Destination

After Bodhgaya, the next destination on the Buddhist train Mahaparinirvan Express itinerary follows the daytime excursions to Nalanda and Rajgir. The twin attractions near Bodhgaya offer a rich glimpse to the world around the time of Lord Buddha. Nalanda in particular was one of the ancient world’s first universities and a center for higher learning in the north eastern region of India. Active since 5^th century, this glorious university inculcated the knowledge actively to the learners for the next seven centuries. It taught multidisciplinary subjects ranging from Buddhist studies, fine arts, medicine, theology, mathematics, physics, astronomy, politics and the art of war.

In the Buddhist world, this prestigious university is also termed as the Buddhist institution imparting knowledge to over 5,000 international students and featuring a library of nine million manuscripts. It also played an important role in the spread of Buddhism. In its heydays, the legendary Buddhist traveller, Hiuen Tsang also studied here and taught here for 5 years in the 7th Century A.D. Nalanda at that time had over 10,000 students and 3,000 teachers.

Structurally as well, the university had quite a unique and channelized arrangement. The center had eight separate complexes, 10 temples, meditation halls, classrooms, dormitories, library, lakes and parks. The nine-story library here had some rare and celebrated manuscripts. The dormitories or monasteries here hosted thousands of students, which was again the first for an educational institution. The university imparted education to the students not only from India, but also from Korea, Japan, China, Tibet, Indonesia, Persia and Turkey.

But this illustrious period came to a halt in the beginning of the 12th Century when the Afghan invader Bakhtiyar Khalji sacked the university and brought it to ruins. He looted the wealth, but couldn’t take away the heritage of Nalanda. The ruins here are evocative of the serene monastic and temple wealth that is inherent with the learning and meditation here.

In 1860's, the great archeologist Alexander Cunningham identified the ruins as the glorious university of Nalanda and in 1915-1916 the Archeological Survey of India began excavations of the site. The present day ruins are a result of that excavation and it is still believed that much of the ruins are beneath existing villages and are unlikely to be revealed. The present site is well-maintained and very pleasant to visit.

Nalanda Tour is followed by the Buddhist pilgrims and travellers with an inquisitive mind for a sneak-peek towards the rich educational wealth of India. For a Buddhist train traveller, this excursion is an enlightening way to find out about the center for Buddhist learning in ancient India. 

Bodhgaya – The Important Stopover Aboard The Buddhist Train

As a pilgrim, once you’ve boarded the Buddhist train, Mahaparinirvan Express, calmness overpowers the mindset as the spiritual journey proceeds towards Bodhgaya. This Buddhist pilgrimage destination is also religious center of Buddhism in the world. Certainly, the world’s most important sacred site devoted to Buddhism, Bodhgaya is an important stopover in the Buddhist train tour.

Famous worldwide as the site of Prince Siddhartha, this pilgrimage destination saw his transformation from a skinny ascetic to the wise and awakened Buddha. It is due to this eventful occasion that this destination rose to prominence as one of the four holiest destinations according to Buddhist faith.

The pilgrims and passengers alight the Mahaparinirvan Express at Gaya Railway Station and board the deluxe AC coaches to cover a 13 km drive and reach Bodhgaya. After arriving here, the participants of this exclusive train journey also get to stay at this pious and pure location for a day.

The first site of reverence in this Buddhist city is the Mahabodhi Temple. A significant archaeological site, this temple complex is 15 meter square and rises to a height of 52 metres. The temple complex also enshrines a big statue of Lord Buddha in the Bhoomi Sparsha Mudra or hand touching earth posture.

But the site of reverence here is dedicated to the Bodhi Tree. Sitting under the tree, the prince turned ascetic first saw the light sitting under this tree. The site still holds a very important role for every Buddhist follower. Be it a Theraveda, Mahayana or Hinayana Buddhist follower, all revere this blissful tree as a sole inspiration to nurture their faith.

Bodhi Sarovar, located towards the west of Mahabodhi Temple is believed to be the pond where Buddha took bath before sitting in the meditation under the Bodhi tree. After visiting the Bodhgaya Temple Complex, the pilgrims after the mid-day lunch and rest continue exploring the essence of Bodhgaya tour by visiting many monasteries and temple shrines of the town.

Thus, it can be said that the Bodhgaya tour is indispensible for any Buddhist follower. Similarly, this site is an important stopover of Buddhist Train, Mahaparinirvan Express, without which the spiritual journey of Buddhist pilgrimage is definitely incomplete.

Mahaparinirvan Express – A Practical Way to Visit the Buddha Land

Lord Buddha’s teachings were simple and practical in nature. All he wanted is to make his followers aware of the life’s ultimate truth i.e. in knowledge and awareness. It is his practical vision only that is still bringing his followers to the pilgrimage sites of the revered Buddha’s homeland. The Enlightened One himself pointed out that the visit to these holy places had special power to deepen faith in the Dharma and benefit all beings. Instead of following just the teachings of Lord Buddha, this sentient suggestion by the enlightened one invited the pilgrims to follow his path.

It was the lord’s realistic insight only that the emphasized the value of pilgrimage and directed the Buddhist disciples to visit four prominent sites of his life in his homeland. Such a spiritually uplifting Buddhist pilgrimage in India still is a preferred practice amongst all the travellers to seek and gain a Buddhist perspective to life. In the prominent practice, the pilgrims prefer to visit the sacred Buddha’s homeland in continuity. This is done to attain the maximum impact of this pious journey. For such pilgrims, there is now a preferred route that trails through Mahaparinirvan Express. Named on the final mahaparinirvan of the lord, this is a train that follows the tracks that track the life and teachings of Buddha. The only Buddhist train in the world, this offers the most practical way to a sentient Buddhist pilgrimage in a single go. Also, the company of fellow Buddhist pilgrims aboard this Buddhist train makes the journey a more enriching experience.

Beginning from Delhi, the journey straightaway brings a pilgrim aboard the train where passengers occupy their allotted berths and begin the richly experiential journey of the lifetime. As a welcome gift, these pilgrim passengers are offered a welcome gift of the Buddhist guidebook that marks the route and illustrates the importance of destinations in the Buddhist history. And the first stopover of this heritage train takes the passengers through the most important of the Buddhist heritage sites in the world, Bodhgaya. Here, lord attained enlightenment or Bodha and became Buddha or awakened. Next in the train trail is the visit to small towns of Rajgir and Nalanda in Bihar, two important Buddhist heritage sites. Followed by this is the stopover in Varanasi, famed worldwide as a gateway to Sarnath, one of the four prominent Buddhist pilgrimage sites. This paves the way for the pilgrims to visit the third prominent pilgrimage site, Kushinagar. Here, lord attained Mahaparinirvan and gave his last teaching of Mahaparinibban Sutta. It is due to this teaching only that millions of pilgrims visit the Buddha land. The last of the Buddhist pilgrimage site in the journey is Lumbini, the site of lord’s birth. The last halt of the Buddhist journey is the visit to Jetavana in Sravasti. Here, the Enlightened One spent 24 monsoon retreats and gave many discourses. In the end of the journey, the passengers are taken through the marvel of India’s heritage, Taj Mahal. This is one of the Seven Wonders of the World and presents the scintillating monumental legacy of the country.

This fully guided Buddhist train tour is a safe and pragmatic way to visit the sites associated with life of the Buddha and understand the practical perspectives of Lord Buddha. 

Buddhist Train Tour – A Unique Way to Visit The Buddhist Pilgrimage

A pilgrimage to Buddhist circuit of India is a must for any devotee or traveller who believes in Buddha and is greatly inspired by him. This enlightening journey trails through the kingdoms, towns and villages that once accommodated Tathagata and helped him achieve his aim of life, enlightenment. These destinations helped the spiritual master achieve spiritual perfection and end to sufferings. Above all, these locations changed the life of Lord Buddha. They still change and transform the life of millions of Buddhist followers who visit these destinations that changed Lord’s destiny.

Presently, there are many ways with which a traveller can visit the Buddhist Circuit of India. There are airways, railways and roadways that connect the Buddhist circuit of India to the most prominent cities in India and the world. But no other journey can match the classic splendour of Buddhist train tour. This is a special train tour package taking the travellers and pilgrims through the blissful destinations that influenced and changed the life of the lord.

The special Buddhist train is named on Buddha’s final teaching, Mahaparinirvana. This last teaching of the lord summarized all of his teachings and life in the form of pilgrimage to the four sacred destinations, namely Lumbini, Bodhgaya, Sarnath and Kushinagar. Based on the same teaching, this train’s exclusive itinerary inspires the visitors to begin a pilgrimage through Buddhist heartland in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

An initiative of Indian Railways, this special Buddhist circuit train utilizes the carriages of fully air conditioned Rajdhani Express train, offering three different classes of travel (first class, two tier, and three tier). Unlike other luxury trains, Mahaparinirvan Express is conceptualized on moderation. Herein, tourists and pilgrims are not taken through the tour in luxuries but are involved throughout the tour in a sentient Buddhist way.

Every morning, the Buddhist chants awaken the travellers in their trail to the bliss of Buddhist circuit. After freshening up, they are served with the meals aboard and later on are taken through the promising destinations in the itinerary. And at night, they retire to their allotted seat inside the train.

What makes this eight day journey different from others is its experiential fervour. The pilgrims can walk through the footprints of Buddha, bow in front of the venerated stupas, temples, monasteries and a lot more in this experience of a lifetime. This pragmatic experience of the Buddhist pilgrimage can be obtained by booking a seat in the only Buddhist train in India. This can be done easily through online booking wherein the train slot as per the schedule and seating preferences can be selected for a blissful Buddhist circuit tour aboard the Mahaparinirvan Express.