Buddhist Circuit
Buddhism
in Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh has been known to be the mother the Indian culture and
social structures. All the religion of Indian origin, ie, Hinduism,
Buddhism and Jainism have there roots in Uttar Pradesh. Founder of
Buddhism, lord Buddha was born in Lumbini, earlier a part of Kapilvastu
Kingdom. Lord was born here as Gautam, the prince of Kapilvastu. He was
leading his life as a typical prince, until one day on a visit to his
kingdom, he saw and realised the pains of old and crippled people. The
incident had supernatural impact on his mind. He left his kingdom in
search for peace and truth. Before attaining enlightment at Bodhgaya,
Buddha travelled all over uttar Pradesh in search of the truth. Once he
attained enlightment, Buddha travelled to various parts of North and
East India. He spent a long time in Sarnath, Srawasti and Kushinagar,
before attaining Salvation in Kushinagar.
Major Buddhist Destinations
Sravasti
Srawasti is the place where Lord Buddha spent 24 monsoons. The small
town lies in Gonda city, near Gorakhpur. Sudatta, a rich business man of
Srawasti, was very much charmed by Buddha and his teachings. He invited
Buddha to his city and honored him by a great welcome. Buddha used to
stay here in Jetvana Vihar, a garden constructed by Sudatta. Buddha
didn't went out of the gardens for entire monsoon, due to fear of
overstepping any small insect on the ground. The place is of high
religious importance to the Buddhist.
Sarnath
Sarnath, located 10 Km from Varanasi, is another important place for
Buddhists. Buddha delivered his first sermon here, after attaining
enlightment at Bodhgaya. Dhamman Stupa here is the seat of Buddha while
he was in Sarnath. Buddha chose this place after being impressed by the
serene environment and calm atmosphere.
Kushinagar
Kushinagar, near Gorakhpur in North-East Uttar Pradesh, is the place
where Lord Buddha achieved salvation. During his last few hours, Buddha
desired to leave his corporeal body at the Sal grove on the banks of the
Hiranyavati river in Kushinagar. The Mahaparinirvana temple here
enshrines a 6 metre long statue of the Buddha in the Parinirvana
posture. Carved from black stone, the statue now looks metallic gold
because of the application of gold leaves by pilgrims.
Kapilvastu
Identified today with ancient Kapilvastu, modern Piprahwa lies at a
distance of 20 km from Siddharthnagar. Prince Gautam, as the Buddha was
then known, left his palace in Kapilvastu at the age of 29, and
revisited it 12 years later, long after he had attained enlightment. A
large stupa stands at the ancient site which is said to have housed the
bone relics of the Buddha. The ruins of the palace are spread over a
large area.
Kaushambi
Kaushambi was the place where Buddha came for several sermons and
lectures. The city was visited by Buddha in the 6th and 9th year after
attaining enlightment. Kaushambi has a very intresting history, as it
used to be one of the 6 most prosperous cities of India during times of
Buddha.
