Sravasti City Guide
Sravasti is one of the eight most important pilgrimages of Buddhists. The small town in north of Uttar Pradesh used to be the monsoon home for Buddha. Budha used to spend his at the Jetvana Gardens here.
Sravasti 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.
Sravasti play host to the sacred pipal tree, a sapling from the original Maha Bodhi tree under which the Buddha attained nirvana. Today, Jetavana has two monasteries, six temples and five Stupas. Sravasti is not famous as only a Buddhist Pilgrimage centre. The place was also under the influence of Lord Mahavira, the last Jain Tirthankar, and the splendid Shwetambara temple here attracts thousands of Jain pilgrims all the year round. The Sobhnath Temple is believed to the birthplace of the Jain Tirthankar Sambhavnath.
Excursions from Sravasti
There are a few interesting getaways from Sravasti. These excursion spots are within the range of 50 to 100 kilometers therefore one need not arrange for overnight stays at this place. You can easily start early morning by a hired cab and return to your hotel by the late evening.
Devi Patan Temple : The temple is located at the distance of 30 Kilometers from downtown Sravasti is an important excursion destination. The temple is considered to be one of the most important Shaktipeeth in the region. The Hindus in both India as well as Nepal revere this temple that attracts scores of devotees every year.
Sankissa, situated on the banks of river Kali is another famous tourist excursion around Sravasti. It is believed that Sankissa is the place where the Buddha descended from heaven along with Lord Brahma and Devaraj Indra after giving a discourse to his mother, Mayadevi who had died soon after giving birth to him. Emperor Ashoka erected a pillar with an elephant capital to mark this holy spot.
Varanasi : Varanasi, or Banaras, actually is the base for all tourists coming to visit Sravasti. The holy Hindu place is well known for the religious and mythological attachments in Hindu fraternity all over the world. It houses the Banaras Hindu University, a centre for studies of Hindu art and culture. The Ghats by the river Ganga, and temples are emotionally linked to every Hindu devotee and are considered supreme for earning eternity.
Kushinagar : Kushinager is, again, a Buddhist Pilgrimage. There are many objects desire for the spiritual minded Buddhist in this place and a lots of Buddhist history takes place, especially that links Lord Buddha, in this place of Kushinagar.
Staying Options
The PWD IH, the Chinese and Burmese Temple Rest Houses and various Dharmashalas are also available. Some hotels are also available at its nearest town, Balrampur. Though the hotels in Sravasti include the following.
Climate of Srawasti
Sravasti, a small town in district Gonda, near Gorakhpur, is 134 kms from Lucknow and 29 kms from Balrampur. This place also experiences tropical climate. So, winters are pleasant and October to February are the most soothing.
Things to see
Sahet and Mahet
