India enhances efforts to facilitate Buddhists visiting pilgrimage sites

India has not only helped spread Buddhism across the world more than 2,500 years ago, it has also kicked off a number of initiatives throughout the years to facilitate Buddhists across the world visiting India to have memorable and devout pilgrimages.

Though the Buddha’s birthplace is in modern-day Nepal, it was India which was influential in sending its scholars abroad spreading Buddhism in Tibet, China, Japan, and Southeast Asia via Sri Lanka.

Keeping up with this tradition, most notably in the recent past, India has undertaken several efforts to help Buddhists to visit pilgrimage sites and many other places of worship and attractions in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Haryana.

When it comes to bilateral relationships, Sri Lanka has an unwavering and a strong bond that it shares with India.  To many Sri Lankans, even today, the largest and most precious gift given by India is Buddhism.

Hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankan pilgrims visit Buddhist sites in North India each year. Sarnath takes prominence as the place where Buddha taught his first sermon after attaining Enlightenment at Bodh Gaya.

Sarnath is located 10 kilometers northeast of Varanasi, near the confluence of the Ganges and the Varuna rivers in Uttar Pradesh, India.

Kushinara and Bodhgaya are two other places of great significance for Buddhist pilgrims. Kushinara is the place where the Buddha attained Parinirvana, and Bodhgaya is the place where the Buddha attained Enlightenment. Both are important pilgrimage sites for Buddhists from all over the world.

These sites are also of great architectural value, with many monuments and temples reflecting the culture and history of Buddhism in this region. Buddhist monks from many countries visit these sites to offer prayers and gain spiritual insight.

Early this year, the Indian Railway and Catering Corporation devised an innovative scheme to facilitate Buddhist pilgrimage tours through a spiritual train journey. This will be a big boost for Sri Lankan pilgrims visiting India.

The scheme makes it easier for Sri Lankan pilgrims to visit India by providing them with a convenient mode of transport. It also provides them with the opportunity to experience the spiritual and religious aspects of the pilgrimage in a unique and meaningful way.

The first seven-night and eight-day pilgrimage started on March 11 from Delhi’s Safdarjung Railway Station. This was the first tourist train departure post-Covid-19.
The tour concluded on March 18 at the Delhi Safdarjung Railway Station.

The tour included destinations such as Mathura, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Jaipur, Pushkar, Udaipur, and Ajmer. The pilgrims experienced the culture and heritage of these cities and enjoyed the journey.

The eight-day tour costs Indian Rs. 75,075, which includes hotel stays in New Delhi before and after the trip as well as the Nepalese visa fee.

The package will cover all major Buddhist religious and cultural centres in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Nepal. Tourists will be accompanied by experienced guides throughout the entire journey. 

Accommodation in hotels, all meals, air-conditioned road transport to tourist sites, a visit to the Taj Mahal, a Nepal visa access facility at Lumbini, and overall travel insurance are included.

It is encouraging to see that India has taken a keen interest in accommodating Buddhist pilgrims and developing the ancient Buddhist sites for their benefit.

In another fascinating move of solidarity, a group of 108 Buddhist pilgrims from South Korea embarked on a 1,167-km walk to trace Lord Buddha’s footsteps in India. The walk, which began on February 9, is to be completed in 43 days.

The pilgrimage will mark 50 years of diplomatic relations between India and South Korea and aims to increase friendship and collaboration between the two countries.

According to the pilgrimage schedule, the tourists will visit a number of Buddhist sites in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar before moving to Nepal to visit Buddha’s birthplace in Lumbini.

It was only a couple of years ago that Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Kushinagar International airport, which has been built as part of efforts to connect Buddhist pilgrimage sites.

The Kushinagar International Airport was inaugurated on October 20, 2021 with the inaugural flight landing from Colombo, whose passengers include a group of respected Buddhist monks.

At the end of last year, Buddhist scholars gathered at Greater Noida said India has been promoting and preserving Buddhist heritage across the country in partnership with Buddhism practicing countries like Japan, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Nepal and others.
Speaking on the occasion, Myanmar student studying at the Gautam Buddha University (GBU), Ven Ananda, thanked India for preserving Buddhist holy places.

 “The promotion and preservation of Buddhist holy places is important and many initiatives have been taken by the Government of India under the able leadership of Narendra Modi. I am confident that preserving the holy places of Buddhism will bring harmony to the whole world,” the monk said.

Tibetan Spiritual Leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama who has made India his home inaugurated the five-year ‘Pali and Sanskrit International Bhikkhu Exchange Programme 2022-27’ at Watpa temple in Bodh Gaya in December last year.