Buddhist Luxury Train Tour IRCTC

Delhi – Bodhgaya – Nalanda - Rajgir - Sarnath - Lumbini - Kushinagar - Sravasti - Agra – Delhi

Day 1: Depart Delhi - Gaya.
Board your train to Nirvana from Safdarjung Railway Station, New Delhi in the afternoon. Dinner onboard. Overnight.

Day 2: Gaya - Bodhgaya
Morning breakfast and arrive Gaya. Proceed to Bodhgaya, half an hour drive from Gaya and checkin to your hotel. In the afternoon visit the auspicious city of Bodhgaya. The Buddha attain full enlightenment in the year of 623 BC. It was auspicious Full Moon Day now also known as Buddha Purnima. The Bodhi Tree under which he became Buddha – Fully Awaken is located behind Mahabodhi temple.

Visit Niranjana river where he practiced six years of asceticism and took bath before enlightenment. In the city you will also visit Thai temple and Japanese temple before proceeding to The Great Buddha Statue also known as Daibutsu in Japanese. In 1989 The Daijokyo Sect of Japan built this 64 feet Grand statue in meditation pose on a lotus flower. Return to your hotel. Dinner and overnight in hotel.

Day 3: Bodhgaya - Rajgir - Nalanda - Varanasi
Not far from Bodhgaya, in the morning you will visit places in Rajgir which includes Gridhakut hill also known as Vulture Peak. This is the place where Lord Buddha gave Lotus Sutra. Venuvan, the bamboo forest was gifted to Lord Buddha by the King Bimbisara.

Later on visit Nalanda to see the mahavihara where teachings of Buddhism flourished and spread around the world. The ruins of monastery and huge library building itself narrate the fame of Nalanda university and its remarkable time in Indian history. Depart to Varanasi and dinner will be served in the Buddhist train.

Day 4: Varanasi – Sarnath – Lumbini
Arrive Varanasi which is not only revered as the holiest city for Hinduism but also famous for Buddha teaching at Sarnath. The motion of Dhamma Chakra from the deer park Sarnath is the beginning of Buddha teaching to his first five disciples and laying the foundation of Sangha. In the Sarnath museum you can see the carefully preserved and highly polished Lion Capital of Ashoka made from single block of sandstone which later on adopted as The State Emblem of India. Also visit Mulagandha Kuti in the vicinity. Beautifully oriented fresco covered walls of this shrine is painted by Japanese artist Kosetsu Nosu depicting the life of Buddha.

Visit of Varanasi cannot be completed without the visit of its fabulous Ganga Aarti – the departure ceremony / rituals performed at the ghats every day. Depart for Nepal border by Buddhist train.

Day 5: Lumbini
Today you will arrive at the closes Railway Station to Sonauli Border - Nautanwa Railway Station. After breakfast board the coach for Nepal border. Tourists have to keep their passport and visa ready to cross the border. Reach Lumbini the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama prince of Shakya clan. Checkin to your hotel, after small rest and lunch proceed to visit Maya Devi temple. In the vicinity you can also find Ashokan pillar a pond and lot of monasteries. Return to your hotel and overnight.

Day 6: Lumbini – Kushinagar – Gorakhpur
From Lumbini you will depart by coach and cross from Nepal to India. Again, the passport and visa have to be kept with you which will be required to enter India from Sonauli border. After crossing the border, you will further drive to Kushinagar, the resting place of Buddha and his transcendence to Mahaparinirvan also known as Mahaparinibbana. This is place where you can visit Mahaparinirvana temple and Stupa, Matha Kaur Shrine, Rambhar stupa where Buddha was cremated and his relics were distributed among six kingdoms. Drive to Gorakhpur and board the Buddhist train again to visit Sravasti.

Day 7: Sravasti – Agra
Arrive Balrampur station and after breakfast proceed to Sravasti. Wash and change in the hotel. Afterwards visit Jetavana also known as Saheth. This is the place where Buddha spent 24 rainy seasons as it was customary for monks not to travel during rainy season. You can see remains of lot of monasteries and temples in Jetavana. Sravasti is also famous as place where Buddha performed the great miracle. Also visit Pakki Kuti before departing to Balrampur Railway station. Dinner and depart for Agra.

Day 8: Agra - Delhi
Morning tea and breakfast. Arrive at Agra Railway Station. Morning is the right time to visit the fabulous monument Taj Mahal which symbolizes love. The white marble from Rajasthan Makrana was used to build the magnificent Taj Mahal with extensive decoration work of semi-precious stones all over its wall using the floral design. The grandeur view from its façade is just the mesmerizing moment of your life which you cannot forget. Lunch and evening tea in your Buddhist train which is now ready to depart to New Delhi.

End of tour.

Highlights and inclusions:
Rates are per person on twin sharing basis and includes GST
Child below 5 year is on FOB basis if sharing beds with parents
Minimum 3 nights journey can be booked subject to availability
All importantan places of Buddhist pilgrimages are included in the program including: Birth, Enlightenment, Preaching and Nirvana