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.