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Buddhist Pilgrimage Sites In India
In religion and spirituality, a pilgrimage is a long journey or search of great moral significance. Sometimes, it is a journey to a sacred place or to a shrine of importance to a person's beliefs and faith. Members of every major religion participate in pilgrimages. A person who makes such a journey is called a pilgrim. There are number of historical Buddhist pilgrimage sites in the Republic of India. Places associated with the life of Buddha Primary sites Buddhism offers four primary sites of pilgrimage: Lumbini (birthplace of the Buddha), Bodh Gaya (the site where the Buddha attained enlightenment), Sarnath (the location of the Buddha’s first sermon), and Kushinagar (the location where the Buddha attained parinirvana). All of these sites are located in India except Lumbini, which is located in southern Nepal. Bodh Gaya is the holiest site of Buddhism. File:Exterior view of the Mahabodhi Temple.jpg, "Maha Bodhi Temple" at Bodh Gaya File:Dhamek Stupa, Sarnath.jpg, Dha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sarnath
Sarnath (also known as Deer Park, ''Sarangnath'', ''Isipatana Deer Park'', ''Rishipattana'', ''Migadaya'', or ''Mrigadava'')Gabe Hiemstra, "Buddha Chronicle 24: Kassapa Buddhavaṃsa". ''Wisdom Library'', 14 September 2019. is a town northeast of Varanasi, in Uttar Pradesh, India. As the '' Lalitavistara'' sutra states, the Gautama Buddha chose ''"Deer Park by the Hill of the Fallen Sages, outside of Varanasi"'' for his first teaching after he attained enlightenment Samye Translations, "Sarnath: The First Turning of the Dharma Wheel", ''Nekhor: Circling the Sacred'' in Bodh Gaya. The teaching is entitled Dhammacakkappavattana sutra. Sarnath is one of the eight most important pilgrimage sites for Buddhists, and has been nominated to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Sarnath is where Gautama Buddha's ''sangha'' first convened, when he gave the first teaching to the Buddha's original five disciples Kaundinya, Assaji, Bhaddiya, Vappa and Mahanama, known as ''The First T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kushinagar
Kushinagar (Pali: ; Sanskrit: ) is a town in the Kushinagar district in Uttar Pradesh, India, east of Gorakhpur on National Highway 27, Kushinagar is a Buddhist pilgrimage site, where Buddhists believe Gautama Buddha died. Etymology According to Alexander Cunningham, Kushinagara was named for the abundance of the kusha grass found in this region. History Iron Age Buddha's death When the Buddha reached his eightieth year, according to the '' Mahāparinibbāṇa Sutta'' ( Sutta 16 of the ''Dīgha Nikāya''), he and some of his disciples undertook a months-long journey from Rājagṛha, through Pāṭaliputta, Vesāli, Bhoganagara, and Pāvā, to their final destination at Kushinagar. At Pāvā Cunda, a resident, invited the group to a meal that featured a food called ''sukaramaddava''. Buddha was afflicted by a painful illness resembling dysentery soon after eating it. After the meal, the Buddha crossed the Kakkuttha River (now called the Khanua River) and compl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bodh Gaya
Bodh Gayā is a religious site and place of pilgrimage associated with the Mahabodhi Temple complex, situated in the Gaya district in the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place where Gautama Buddha is said to have attained Enlightenment (Buddhism), enlightenment (Pali: ) under what became known as the Bodhi Tree. Since antiquity, Bodh Gayā has remained the object of Buddhist pilgrimage sites, pilgrimage and veneration for Buddhism, Buddhists. In particular, Archaeology, archaeological finds, including sculptures, show that the site was in use by Buddhists since the Mauryan period. For Buddhists, Bodh Gayā is the most important of the four main pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha, the other three being Kushinagar, Lumbini, and Sarnath. In 2002, Mahabodhi Temple, located in Bodh Gayā, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. History Bodh Gayā is considered the holiest site in Buddhism. Known as Uruvel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bihar
Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by area, 12th largest by area, and the List of Indian states and union territories by GDP, 14th largest by GDP in 2024. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Bengal to the east, and Jharkhand to the south. Bihar is split by the river Ganges, which flows from west to east. On 15 November 2000, a large chunk of southern Bihar was ceded to form the new state of Jharkhand. Around 11.27% of Bihar's population live in urban areas as per a 2020 report. Additionally, almost 58% of Bihari people, Biharis are below the age of 25, giving Bihar the highest proportion of young people of any Indian state. The official language is Hindi, which shares official status alongside that of Urdu. The main native languag ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Visakhapatnam
Visakhapatnam (; List of renamed places in India, formerly known as Vizagapatam, and also referred to as Vizag, Visakha, and Waltair) is the largest and most populous metropolitan city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is between the Eastern Ghats and the coast of the Bay of Bengal. It is the second largest city on the Coastal India, east coast of India after Chennai, and the fourth largest in South India. It is one of the four Smart city, smart cities of Andhra Pradesh selected under the Smart Cities Mission and is the headquarters of Visakhapatnam district. Vizag is popularly known as ''shipbuilding capital of India'' due to presence of multiple shipyards such as Hindustan Shipyard, Naval Dockyard (Visakhapatnam), Naval Dockyard and being the central naval command of the east coast. Visakhapatnam's history dates back to the 6th century BCE. The city was ruled by the Satavahana dynasty, Andhra Satavahanas, Vengi, the Pallava dyna ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bojjannakonda
Bojjannakonda and Lingalakonda are two rock-cut caves of Buddhist origin on adjacent hillocks situated near the village of Sankaram, Anakapalle of ancient Kalinga in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The sites are believed to have been established between the 4th and 9th centuries AD, when Buddhism was the majority religion of Sankaram (Sangharam). The original name of Bojjannakonda is Buddina Konda. Site Sankaram is a small village situated about a mile to the east of Anakapalli in the Anakapalle district of Andhra Pradesh. A short distance to the north of the village are two hills. The one on the east is called Bojjannakonda and the one on the west is called Lingalakonda. Both are surrounded by paddy fields. The hills contain monolithic stupas, rock-cut caves, ''chaityas'' and monasteries forming one of the most remarkable Buddhist establishments in Andhra Pradesh during the period. The name of the village Sankaram is evidently a corruption of Sangharam (Boudha-arama, i.e. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thotlakonda
Thotlakonda Buddhist Complex is situated on a hill near Bheemunipatnam about from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, India. The hill is about above sea level and overlooks the ocean. The Telugu name ''Toṭlakoṇḍa'' derived from the presence of a number of rock-cut cisterns hewn into the bedrock of the hillock. “Thotlakonda" may also mean “hill of cisterns.” In 2019, the stupa was partially damaged due to monsoons, but it was restored by 2021 at the cost of Rs 42 lakh. Thotlakonda was well within the influence of Kalinga, an important source of dissemination of Buddhism to Sri Lanka and various parts of Southeast Asia. Also, it was one of the ports of entry for pilgrims arriving via th sea to visit prominent Buddhist places located near the 83.3 degree Meridian East. Thotlakonda's history provides an insight into the process of transoceanic diffusion of Indic culture, especially Buddhism. A hill on the sea coast with a salubrious (healthy) climate was an ideal attr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mahayana
Mahāyāna ( ; , , ; ) is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, Buddhist texts#Mahāyāna texts, texts, Buddhist philosophy, philosophies, and practices developed in ancient India ( onwards). It is considered one of the three main existing branches of Buddhism, the others being Theravāda and Vajrayāna.Harvey (2013), p. 189. Mahāyāna accepts the main scriptures and teachings of Early Buddhist schools, early Buddhism but also recognizes various doctrines and texts that are not accepted by Theravada Buddhism as original. These include the Mahāyāna sūtras and their emphasis on the ''bodhisattva'' path and Prajnaparamita, ''Prajñāpāramitā''. Vajrayāna or Mantra traditions are a subset of Mahāyāna which makes use of numerous Tantra, tantric methods Vajrayānists consider to help achieve Buddhahood. Mahāyāna also refers to the path of the bodhisattva striving to become a fully awakened Buddha for the benefit of all sentience, sentient beings, and is thus also ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Guntur
Guntur (), natively spelt as Gunturu, is a city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of Guntur district. The city is part of the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region and is located on the Eastern Coastal Plains approximately south-west of the state capital Amaravati. According to data from the 2011 Census of India, Guntur had a population of 743,354 in that year, making it the List of cities in Andhra Pradesh by population, third-most-populous city in the state, and occupies of land. The city is the heartland of the state, located in the center of Andhra Pradesh and making it a central part connecting different regions. The city is home to numerous state government offices and agencies. being part of the district capital and being in close proximity to the state capital Amaravati. The city is about 1100 miles south of the national capital New Delhi. It is classified as a ''Y-grade'' city as per the Pay Commi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nagarjunakonda
Nagarjunakonda (ISO: Nāgārjunikoṇḍā, meaning Nagarjuna Hill) is a historical town, now an island located near Nagarjuna Sagar in Palnadu district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is one of India's richest Buddhist sites, and now lies almost entirely under the lake created by the Nagarjuna Sagar Dam. With the construction of the dam, the archaeological relics at Nagarjunakonda were submerged, and had to be excavated and transferred to higher land, which has become an island. The site was once the location of a large Buddhist monastic university complex, attracting students from as far as China, Gandhara, Bengal and Sri Lanka. There are ruins of several Mahayana Buddhist and Hindu shrines. It is 160 km west of another important historic site, the Amaravati Stupa. The sculptures found at Nagarjunakonda are now mostly removed to various museums in India and abroad. They represent the second most important group in the distinctive "Amaravati style", sometimes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and the List of states and union territories of India by population, tenth-most populous in the country. Telugu language, Telugu is the most widely spoken language in the state, as well as its official language. Amaravati is the state capital, while the largest city is Visakhapatnam. Andhra Pradesh shares borders with Odisha to the northeast, Chhattisgarh to the north, Karnataka to the southwest, Tamil Nadu to the south, Telangana to northwest and the Bay of Bengal to the east. It has the Coastline of Andhra Pradesh, third-longest coastline in India at about . Archaeological evidence indicates that Andhra Pradesh has been continuously inhabited for over 247,000 years, from early archaic Hominini, hominins to Neolithic settlements. The earliest r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
