Buddhist Sector with Nepal

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Duration :- 11 Days / 10 Nights
Destinations Covered :- Delhi -Varanasi - Bodhgaya - Rajgir -Nalanda - Patna -Vaishali - Kushinagar - Lumbini - Pokhra - Kathmandu

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Day 01 Delhi
Arrive & Transfer from International Airport to Hotel. for overnight stay at Hotel.

Day 02 Delhi- Varanasi
Morning transfer to the airport to leave by air for Varanasi. Arrive and transfer to Hotel. Afternoon visit to Sarnath- the holy shrine of the Buddhist where LORD BUDDHA preached his first sermon after he had gained Enlightenment.

Day 03 Varanasi-Bodhgaya
Morning after Ghat tour and breakfast drive down to Bodhgaya.
Upon arrival check-in at Hotel for overnight stay.

Day 04 Bodhgaya
Full day sightseeing of Bodhgaya. Here under the Bodhi tree (Tree of Awakening). Shakyamuni Gautama attained supreme knowledge to become Buddha, the "Enlightened One" ,, the propounder of one of the great religions of the world. The tree that stands today is believed to have grown from the original Peepal tree under which Lord Buddha meditated. River Niranjana in which the Buddha bathed after attaining enlightenment flows quietly outside the tiny hamlet where the story of Prince Siddhartha ended and the saga of the Buddha began. Overnight stay at Hotel.

Day 05 Bodhgaya- Rajgir-Nalanda- Patna
Morning after breakfast drive down to Patna. Enroute lunch in Rajgir at Hotel Hokke via Nalanda university ruins. Nalanda is a famous as an ancient seat of learning . The ruins of one of the world's most ancient university. Founded in the 5th Centuary AD, this great seat of learning flourished until the 12th Century. Both the founders of the two religions Buddhism and Jainism, the Buddha and Parsvanath Mahavir, visited Nalanda. The Chnese chronicler Huien Tsang spent many years here both as a student and as a teacher. Rajgir is 12 kms south of Nalanda on the road to Bodhgaya and is located in a verdant valley surrounded by rocky hills. It is sacred to the memory of founders of both Buddhism and Jainism .

Lord Buddha spent many months of retreat during the rainy season here and used to meditate and preach on the Griddhakuta, the hill of the Vultures. An aerial ropeway provides the link with a hilltop stupa built by the Japanese. One of the hills is the cave of Saptkarni, the first Buddhist Council was held. The Saptkarni cave is also the source of the Rajgir hot water springs that have curative properties and are sacred to Hindus. Dinner and overnight stay at Hotel in Patna.

Day 06 Patna-Vaishali-Kushinagar
Morning after breakfast drive down to Kushinagar. Enroute visit Vaishali. Vaishali is a small village surrounded by bannana and mango groves and rice fields. vaishali was rich centre for trade and industry. Lord Buddha visited this place frequently and at Kolhua, close by, preached his last sermon.
Overnight stay at Hotel at Kushinagar.

Day 07 Kushinagar-Lumbini
Morning after breakfast drive down to Lumbini.
Lumbini : On the full moon day Prince Siddhartha was born in Lumbini under the Sala tree. According to custom , Queen Maya was returning to her parental home for childbirth .

On the way , her royal caravan rested here . Today , no trace
remains of the ancient village of Lumbini, but an Ashokan column , the famous Rummindei pillar , which commemorated the emperor's visit in 249 BC, still stands to mark the sacred spot of the Buddha's nativity.


Lumbini's Mayadevi Mandir, an ancient stone relief depicting Budha's birth, dates back to the 2nd century. The marble copy close by depicts the new-born Buddha being blessed by Brahma and Mayadevi- Buddha's mother.
Overnight stay at Hotel at Lumbini.

Day 08 Lumbini- Pokhra
Morning after breakfast drive to Pokhra. On arrival check in at hotel.
The choice of view and vantage points is wide, encompassing a 140 km -(306 miles) section of the Himalayas including Dhaulagiri, the 56 kms.(35 miles) long Annapurna range, Manalsu, Himalchuli and Machhapuchhare.
Overnight stay at Hotel at Pokhra.

Day 09 Pokhra-Kathmandu
Morning after breakfast drive for Kathmandu.
Upon arrival check-in at Hotel at Kathmandu.

Day 10 Kathmandu
Morning half day visit Patan also known as Lalitpur, was one of the major Buddhist cities of Asia. It is the cIty of fine arts enclosed within four stupas said to be built in 3rd century AD, by Emperor Ashoka. Also visit the Tibetan Refugee Camp and the Handicraft centre, where you will witness the hand weaving of Tibetan carpets and moulding of metal statues.

Afternoon visit Boudhnath - this stupa is one of the biggest in the world of its kind. It stand with four pairs of eyes in the four cardinal direction keeping watch for righteous behaviour and human prosperity and onto Bhadgaon-Also known as Bhaktapur meaning the city of devotees, this place is the home of medieval art and architecture. This place was founded in the 9th century and is shaped like a conch shell.

Day 11 Kathmandu
Morning visit Kathmandu city - known as Kantipur, the capital of the Kingdom of Nepal. Visit the temple of the Living Goddess who acknowledge the greetings of the devotees from the balcony of her temple residence, the Durbar Square are with its array of temples overlooked by the Hanuman Dhoka Palace, the ancient place of the Nepalese Royalty and onto Swayambhunath -Buddhist stupa is said to be 2000 yrs. old.
Transfer to International Airport to fly back home.

N.B.: One can also take a flight from Bhairawala airport near Lumbini which is linked with Kathmandu. Lumbini is 2&1/2 hours drive from Bhairawala airport.