Buddhist Pilgrimage with Taj Mahal Tour

Breakfast. Visiting Old Delhi, starting with the great Jama Masjid, Continuation in rickshaw ride (bicycle cart) to visit Chandni Chowk and Spice Market in Old Delhi, later visit Raj Ghat, which is the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi. Later visit Agrasen ki baoli (step well), Bangla Sahib Gurudwara (Sikh Temple), India Gate, Parliament Building, President House, Ministries. Continue to visit Humayun Tomb, Lotus Temple (Bahai House) and Qutub Minar. Overnight at hotel.

Breakfast, Morning drive from Delhi to Agra, en route visit Akshardham Temple which is most popular in the whole world which is one of the best Hindu temple in India. Continue drive to Agra, it is the most famous city in the world for Taj Mahal and it’s known for best inlay work on marble and soapstone by craftsmen, who are descendants of those who worked under the Mughals Kings. The city is also famous for good quality of carpets, embroidery with gold thread and leather items. On arrival check in at hotel.

Afternoon visit the Baby Taj or Itimad-ud-Daulah and impressive Mehtab Bagh gardens. It is the Persian style gardens. Overnight at hotel.

Early morning visit the Taj Mahal (Friday Closed) and enjoy one of the 7 wonders of the modern world, continue visit Red Fort (Agra Fort) built in red sandstone by the Mughal emperor Akbar. Breakfast at the hotel and drive to Delhi Airport to board the flight for Varanasi.

Assistance on arrival and transfer to the hotel. In evening, you will attend from a boat on the river and attend AARTI ceremony that takes place in the "Ghats". Overnight at hotel.

Early morning boat ride on Ganges River where we can admire some of the temples located on the banks of the river Ganges. Later visit Golden Temple (Kashi Vishwanath Temple) and later panoramic tour of the Banaras Hindu University, Durga Temple (Durga Kund Mandir), Sankat Mochan Temple (Hanuman Mandir), Bharat Mata Temple and Golden Temple.

Breakfast. Drive to visit Sarnath, It is believed that after attaining the Enlightenment at Bodh Gaya. Gautama Buddha preached his first sermon and Buddhist came into existence through the enlightenment. Overnight at hotel.

Breakfast and drive from Varanasi to Bodhgaya, Bodhgaya is one of the sacred places for the Buddhists as well as for the Hindus. Here under the Bodhi Tree, Gautama attained supreme knowledge to become Budhha, the `Enlighted One'.

On arrival check at hotel. After visit the magnificent Mahabodhi temple in Bodhgaya is an architectural amalgamation of many centuries’ cultures and many heritages that came to pay their homage here. Overnight at hotel.

Breakfast and visit the Chinese Temple and Niranjana Temple. Later drive to historical towns Rajgir. The Buddha lived in the sixth century BC. Rajgir is 10km south of Nalanda and sacred to the memory of the founder of both Buddhism and Jainism. Lord Buddha spent many months of retreat during the rainy season here, and used to meditate and preach on Griddhkuta, the 'Hill of the Vultures'. Lord Mahavir spent fourteen years of his life at Rajgir and Nalanda.

On arrival check in at hotel. Overnight at hotel.

Breakfast and drive to Kushinagar, En route visita Vaishali. The Lord Buddha visited Vaishali more than once during his lifetime and announced his approaching Mahaparinirvana to the great followers he had here. Hundred years after he attained Mahaparinirvana, it was the venue of the second Buddhist Council. According to one belief, the Jain Tirthankar, Lord Mahavir was born at Vaishali. The Chinese travellers Fa-Hien and Hieun Tsang also visited this place in early 5th and 7th centuries respectively and wrote about Vaishali.
Later drive to Kushinagar. The land is venerated as the site of the Buddha's Mahaparinirvana, his death and cremation that marked his final liberation from the cycles of death and rebirth.
On arrival check in and overnight at hotel.

Breakfast and drive to visit Kushinagar, The modern Indo-Japan-srilanka Buddhist centre, Kushinagar is rediscovering its roots, and is home to many viharas, including a Tibetan gompa devoted to Sakyamuni, a Burmese vihara, and temples from China and Japan.

Later drive to Lumbini, the birthplace of the Gautama Buddha. It is the Mecca of every Buddhist, being one of the four holy places of Buddhism. Buddha himself identified four places of future pilgrimage: the sites of his birth, enlightenment, first discourse, and death. Hence the birth of Gautam Buddha makes it one of the most sacred places in the world.

Afternoon visit The Mayadevi Temple, This Mayadevi temple dedicated to the mother of the Buddha. Overnight at hotel.

Breakfast at hotel and drive to Sharavasti. On arrival check in at hotel.Afternoon visit, Saheth & Maheth. During the time of Sakyamuni, a rich and pious merchant named Sudatta lived in Sravasti. While on a visit to Rajgir, he heard the Buddha's sermon and decided to become the Lord's disciple. But he was caught in a dilemma and asked the Lord whether he could become a follower without forsaking worldly life. To his query, the Buddha replied that it was enough that he followed his vocation in a righteous manner.
Sudatta invited the Buddha to Sravasti and began to look for a suitable place to build a vihara. A beautiful park at the southern edge of Sravasti attracted his attention. The park belonged to Jeta, son of King Prasenjit of Sravasti. Jeta demanded that Sudatta cover the entire park with gold coins. Sudatta painstakingly paved every inch of the land with gold. Then Jeta said that since the trees were left uncovered they belonged to him. But finally, he had a change of heart and donated valuable wood to build the vihara. The park came to be known as Jetavana Vihara in recognition of Prince Jeta's donation to the sangh.
Buddha spent 25 years living in the monastery of Jetavana. Many Vinaya rules, Jatakas and Sutras were first discussed at this place. The Buddha is supposed to have astonished rival teachers by performing miracles at Sravasti. It is said that it was in Sravasti that the Buddha transformed Angulimal from a dacoit into a Buddhist monk. He also delivered many important sermons here. King Ashoka erected two pillars 21 meters high on either side of the eastern gateway of the Jetavana monastery. Sravasti was a flourishing center of learning during the Gupta period. When the famed Chinese traveler Hiuen Tsang visited this site, he found several damaged stupas and ruins of monasteries and a palace.
Sravasti has two villages, Sahet and Mahet. From the Balrampur-Sravasti road one can enter Sahet, which is spread over an area of 400 acres and has a number of ruins. A little north of Sahet, towards the Rapti River, is the ancient fortified city of Mahet. The entrance to the mud fortification of Mahet is constructed in a beautiful crescent shape. Though an ancient structure, its five gates and walls are still visible. Pakki Kuti, Kuchhi Kuti and many other stupas tell the story of the great monasteries that once stood here.
Remnants of Jetavana, a splendid monastery with inscriptions dating back to the 12th century, is thought to be one of the favorite sites of the Buddha. Emperor Ashoka is also said to have visited this site. There is a sacred pipal tree here, which is a sapling from the original Maha Bodhi tree under which the Buddha had attained nirvana. Today, Jetavana has two monasteries, six temples and five stupas. One temple was built by the monk Ananthapindika and called Gandhakuti. This is the most sacred temple in Jetavana since the Buddha is believed to have lived at this spot.
Sravasti was also under the influence of Lord Mahavira the last Jain Tirthankar, and the splendid Shwetambara temple here attracts thousands of Jain pilgrims. The Sobhnath Temple is believed to the birthplace of the Jain Tirthankar Sambhavnath.

Breakfast at hotel and drive to Lucknow. On arrival check in at hotel.

Afternoon explore this royal city of Nawabs. Lucknow is caught in a time warp. It exists in an in-between land of the past and the present looking back constantly to the memories of a colonial-Nawabi past. There is at the same time a sense of pride at the thought of being after Delhi, the most important center of power in free India. Politics has indeed been Lucknow's forte but culture has been its historical identification.
Despite the Indo-Persian legacy, Lucknow has a composite Indian culture. The welding of various cultural strains nurtured by centuries of Mughal and later Delhi Sultanate rule, to the folk traditions of the Indo-Gangetic plains has produced a complex, yet rich synthesis. The Urdu language acquired its baffling phonetic nuances and suave perfection here. It was in Nawab Wajed Ali Shah's court that the most advanced of all classical Indian dance forms, the Kathak, took shape. The popular Parsi theatre originated from the Urdu theatre of this city. The tabla and the sitar were first heard on the streets of Lucknow.

Overnight at hotel.

Breakfast. In time assistance on departure to railway station.

In Delhi, Assistance on arrival and check in at hotel. Overnight at hotel.

Breakfast at hotel. In time assistance on departure at Delhi airport to board the flight for next destination. End the tour.