9-Day Buddha Pilgrimage Tour from Delhi through India and Nepal

• Meet the driver in Delhi and transfer to the hotel.
• In the evening, take a traditional rickshaw ride through Chandni Chowk, the oldest and busiest market in Delhi. Chandni Chowk, whose literal translation is "Moonlight Square," was built by a Mughal emperor in the 17th century. It was once divided by canals that reflected the moonlight, although that particular area is now closed. Today, it remains one of the biggest wholesale markets in India.

Overnight stay in a hotel in Delhi.

• Your Buddhist Trail tour begins today. Upon arrival at Gaya airport, you will be greeted by a representative and transferred to your hotel.
• Check in to your hotel and relax after your long journey. Bodhgaya, also written as Bodh Gaya, in north-eastern India is the site of the Buddha's enlightenment and the most important of the four main Buddhist pilgrimage destinations. It was known as Uruvela in the Buddha's time. The two major sacred sites in Bodhgaya are the Mahabodhi Temple and the Bodhi Tree, around which many temples and monasteries of various Buddhist traditions - Japanese, Tibetan, Bhutanese, Vietnamese, Thai, and others - have been built. Every year, millions of Buddhist pilgrims, mainly from Asian countries, come to Bodhgaya to be inspired and earn merit by visiting the holy site where the Buddha became Buddha, the "Enlightened One."
• In the evening, pay a brief visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Mahabodhi Temple and drive to the Neranchara River and Sujata Village.
• The rest of the time is free for leisure or for visiting the market by yourself.

Overnight stay in a hotel in Bodh Gaya.

• Today, after an early morning breakfast, proceed to visit the Mahabodhi Buddha Temple and walk around the deer park. Later, see the monastery ruins area, Dhamekh Stupa, Archaeological Museum, and more. Bodh Gaya is the place where Gautama Buddha attained unsurpassed, supreme Enlightenment. It is a place that should be visited by a person of devotion, as it inspires awareness and an understanding of the nature of impermanence. Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha-to-be, had dwelt on the banks of the Niranjana River with five ascetic followers for six years, practising austerities. Realizing that austerities could not lead to true realization, he abandoned them. His five ascetic companions, disappointed by what they saw as his failure, deserted him and left for Sarnath.
• Later, visit the Mahabodhi Temple, Bodhi Tree, Chinese Monastery, Big Buddha Statue, Royal Thai Temple, and more.

Overnight stay in a hotel in Bodh Gaya.

• After an early morning breakfast, proceed for a sightseeing tour of Rajgir and Nalanda. Rajgir was the capital of the Magadh Empire until Ajatshatru moved it to Pataliputra (Patna) in the 5th century BC. Rajgir is an important Buddhist pilgrimage site because Buddha spent 12 years here, and the first Buddhist council after the Buddha attained Nirvana was held here. Visit Ajatshatru's Fort, Venuvana, Swarna Bhandar, and the Cyclopean Wall. Also visit the Peace Pagoda by chair lift. Rajgir sightseeing includes Griddhakuta Peak, Venuvan, Hot Spring, Jivaka Amravan, and Bimbisar Jail.
• Lunch at a local restaurant in Rajgir.
• Then proceed to Nalanda University. Nalanda, founded in the 5th century BC, was one of the world's great universities. Visit the remains of the brick-built Great Stupa and the local archaeological museum.

Overnight stay at a hotel in Rajgir.

• After breakfast, proceed with your drive to Kushinagar. En route, visit Vaishali, also known as Vesali, a city in present-day Bihar, India, now an archaeological site. It is part of the Tirhut Division and was the capital city of the Vajjian Confederacy (Vrijji mahajanapada), considered one of the first examples of a republic around the 6th century BCE. Gautama Buddha preached his last sermon here before his death in c. 483 BCE. Later, in 383 BCE, the Second Buddhist Council was convened here by King Kalasoka, making it an important place in both Jain and Buddhist traditions. It also contains one of the best-preserved Pillars of Ashoka, topped by a single Asiatic lion.

Overnight stay at Kushinagar.

• Take an early breakfast and visit Kushinagar. It is one of the four sacred places related to Lord Buddha. Here, Buddha delivered his last sermon, attained Mahaparinirvana (salvation) in 483 BC, and was cremated at Rambhar Stupa. The reclining Nirvana statue of Lord Buddha inside the temple is 6.10 metres long and is made of 5th-century red sandstone.
• Then see other famous attractions such as the Indo-Japanese Temple, Burmese Temple, Chinese Temple, Thai Temple, Korean, Sri Lankan, and Tibetan temples, as well as the 15 Acres Meditation Park and Museum.
• Continue to Lumbini, where Lord Buddha was born while his mother was travelling to her parental home from Kapilavastu. Buddha was born in Lumbini on the full moon day in Vaisakh in 623 BC. He was born under a Sal tree when Mayadevi was on her way to her maternal town for delivery. Upon arrival, proceed for a sightseeing tour of the charming city of Lumbini and its temples of Lord Buddha. After sightseeing, check in to the hotel for an overnight stay in Lumbini.

• After an early morning breakfast, check out from your hotel and embark on a drive to Varanasi. Upon arrival, check in at the hotel.
• In the evening, witness the Ganga Arati, a ritual performed by local priests on the banks of the Ganga. It is one of the greatest spectacles to experience here. Later, take a stroll through the narrow lanes and market of Godowlia, where you can shop for souvenirs. Walk through the local market and the narrow lanes of Banaras city for a glimpse of one of the world's oldest living cities.
• You will be able to interact with local people, ask questions, and sample local delicacies. Few tourists ever wind their way through the bazaars in the northern gullis of the old city, where hidden alleys lead directly through the sacred zone of Banaras to the oldest ghats of the city.
• Continue winding through the streets of the Bengalis, visiting hidden shrines and taking in the vistas of life along the riverside to the historic bathing site called Dashashwamedh, the ten-horse sacrifice ghat.

Overnight stay in a hotel in Varanasi.

• Visit Sarnath, located 18 kilometres northeast of Varanasi near the Ganges and the Varuna rivers in Uttar Pradesh, India. The deer park in Sarnath is where Gautama Buddha first taught the Dhamma and where the Buddhist Sangha came into existence through the enlightenment of Kondanna.
• Then see the Dhamek Stupa, situated in the village of Sarnath. Here you will find a massive stone and brick structure 43.6 metres tall and 28 metres in diameter. The stupa was built more than 1,500 years ago to replace an earlier structure dating back to 249 BCE.
• Visit Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple. This impressive structure, dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiva, has earned the nickname "The Golden Temple" for its striking spire plated in 800 kilograms of pure gold. Its distinctive design has inspired the architecture of hundreds of other temples across India.
• Then head to Manikarnika Ghat and witness the perpetual cremations that take place there. Hindus believe Manikarnika Ghat is one of the most auspicious places for the departed to attain moksha, or emancipation from the cycle of spiritual rebirth. The funeral pyre at this ghat burns for 24 hours, and around 100 cremations occur daily.

Overnight stay at a hotel in Varanasi.

• Early in the morning, proceed for a boat ride on the Ganga River at sunrise in Varanasi. Here, you can experience the way of life of the local people. Before the boat ride, you may also take a holy dip in the Ganga, symbolising the faith, spirituality, and divinity of this sacred Hindu river.
• After breakfast, catch your flight to your home destination with unforgettable memories of the Buddhist trail tour package.