Itinerary -
Day 01: Arrive Aurangabad
On arrival at Aurangabad, you will be transferred to the hotel by our representatives. Later, visit the Daulatabad Fort, Bibi-Ka-Muqbara, and Aurangabad Caves. Overnight stay at the hotel.
Day 02: Aurangabad - Ellora Caves - Aurangabad
Today, in the first half, visit Ellora Caves, which is 30 km from Aurangabad. Ellora is famous for its rock-cut cave temples that date back to 10th and 11th century. After the sightseeing tour, return to the hotel in Aurangabad for overnight stay and dinner.
Day 03: Aurangabad – Ajanta Cave - Jalgaon - Bhopal
After breakfast at the hotel, drive to Ajanta caves, located 100 km, a 2½ hour drive, northeast of Aurangabad in the Waghora valley. These magnificent rock-cut caves, 30 in number, date from 2nd BC to 7th Century AD. After the sightseeing tour, drive to Jalgaon railway station from where you will board a train for Bhopal.
Day 04: Bhopal – Sanchi – Bhopal – Agra
Today, you will visit Sanchi Stupa, a rounded hill topped with some of India’s oldest Buddhist structures. In the afternoon, return to the hotel in Bhopal. In the evening, you will board a train from Bhopal to board a train to Agra.
Day 05: Arrive Agra
Upon arrival at Agra, meet our representatives who will transfer you to the hotel. In the afternoon, visit Taj Mahal and Agra Fort. After a tiring city sightseeing tour, return to the hotel for overnight stay and dinner.
Day 06: Agra – Delhi – Patna (air)
Post breakfast at the hotel, drive to Delhi Airport to board a flight to Patna. On arrival at Patna, check- in the hotel for overnight stay and dinner.
Day 07: Patna – Nalanda – Rajgir - Bodhgaya
Today, drive to Bodhgaya. During the journey, visit Nalanda, an ancient university founded in the 5th century B.C. Also, you will visit a museum that exhibits the Nalanda University seal, sculptures and other remains found on the site. Further, visit Griddhkuta "Hill of Vultures", where Buddha delivered some of his most famous sermons. After that, visit Saptparni caves where first Buddha Council was held. After a day long sightseeing tour, check in the Bodh Gaya hotel for overnight stay.
Day 08: Bodhgaya - Varanasi
In the morning, enjoy a hearty breakfast and visit Mahabodhi Temple in Sarnath, a hallowed ground where Buddha attained enlightenment and formulated his philosophy of life. Make a point to see the Bodhi Tree, a sacred fig tree ever to grace the Earth under which Prince Siddhartha, the founder of Buddhism, achieved enlightenment. Later drive to Varanasi for overnight stay and dinner.
Day 09: Varanasi
Today, explore Varanasi. Start your day with an early morning boat ride and then in first half visit Vishwanath Temple, Bharat Mata Temple, Tulsi Manas Temple. Later, the second half, visit Sarnath (where Buddha delivered his first sermon). In the evening, see the famed Ganga aarti. Overnight stay at the Varanasi hotel.
Day 10: Varanasi - Kushinagar
After breakfast, drive to Kushinagar, the holy town where Gautama Buddha attained Parinirvana after his death. On arrival at Kushinagar, check in the hotel and then go for a city sightseeing tour. Dinner and overnight stay at the Kushinagar hotel.
Day 11: Kushinagar – Lumbini - Shravasti
After breakfast at the Kushinagar hotel, drive to Shravasti. During the journey, visit Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha. Today, visit Mayadevi temple, which is sacred to Buddha’s mother. Later visit China temple, which is a beautiful pagoda-style temple with many prayers and meditation cells. Then continue drive to Sravasti. On arrival at Shravasti check-in at the hotel. Overnight stay at the hotel.
Day 12: Shravasti – Lucknow Shravasti, Departs
Today, proceed for city tour of Shravasti where Lord Buddha passed the greater part of his monastic life and preached after the enlightenment. Visit the Ananda Bodhi tree where Lord Buddha meditated for a night then visit Jetavan where Lord Buddha performed some miracle. In the afternoon, drive to Lucknow to board a flight or train.
Trip Ends With Sweet Memories !!!
The Buddha’s Trail
If your dream holiday includes a visit to India's best heritage sites, iconic cave temples, magnificent monasteries, and great places that have witnessed the footsteps of history’s greatest and most revered figure, Siddhartha Gautama, then we have a right package for you - The Buddha’s Trail. As the name says, the Buddha Trail, this tour package includes a visit to major Buddha sites in India and Nepal that too in eleven days only.
Your journey will begin from Aurangabad, where you will visit the Ellora and Ajanta Caves. The magnificent world heritage site, Ellora is famous for its rock-cut cave temples that date back to 10th and 11th century. In Ajanta too, you would see the cave temples, but they are much older than Ellora ones and dates from around the 2nd century to the 6th century BC. After a fantastic heritage walk in the Aurangabad, drive to Jalgaon to board a train for Bhopal. The capital city of Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal is the closest city to Sanchi, the nest destination of the tour. Famous for its stupas, monolithic Asokan pillar, temples, monasteries and sculptural wealth, Sanchi is an architectural wonderland. Following a brief visit to the archeological splendor of India, visit Agra to see the beautiful Taj Mahal and Agra Fort. Next day, you will board a train for Patna to visit the iconic places like Nalanda, Rajgir and Bodhgaya. A world heritage site, Mahabodhi Temple Complex in Bodh Gaya marks the place where Buddha attained enlightenment. Here you can find structures that date back to 5th century BC. Also here you will see the Bodhi tree under which the Buddha found enlightenment. On the same day, drive to Varanasi to see the place where Buddha gave his famous first sermon after attaining enlightenment, Sarnath. In Sarnath, you will see a 100m-high stupa, which is one of the largest in the world. From Sarnath, drive to Kushinagar, an ancient town where Gautama Buddha attained Parinirvana after his death. Spend a day in Kushinagar and then visit Lumbini in Nepal, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha, for a short period of time. In Lumbini, visit the Maya Devi Temple, which marks the spot where Queen Maya Devi gave birth to Siddhartha Gautama. Due to time constraint, you will leave Lumbini and proceed to Sravasti, the last attraction of the tour. In Shravasti, you can see Ananda Bodhi tree and Jetavana, one of the famous Buddhist monastery and Vihara in India. After a day tour in Shravasti, go to Lucknow to board a train or flight to your destination onwards.
By opting for this tour, you can visit all the four important sites: Lumbini, Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, and Kushinagar: sites of his birth, enlightenment, first sermon, and death. For those who fascinated by Buddha's life and pleased by the wisdom and simplicity of the words attributes to him then you should avail this package. If you want to know more about the package, go through the detailed itinerary mentioned below, or you can call us on numbers mentioned on our website. Even if you want to add some more locations or want any changes in the tour package, we can do it as per your wish.