The ''Mahaparinirvan Express'' is a tourist train which was launched by the

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation {{Infobox company , name = Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation , logo_size = 150px , logo = IRCTC Logo.svg , type = Public , traded_as = {{ubl, {{BSE, 542830, {{NSE, IRCTC , ISIN = {{ISIN, sl=n, pl=y, INE335Y01012 , foundation ...

(IRCTC) on 28 March 2007, to attract Buddhist pilgrims. The train takes passengers on an eight-day, seven-night spiritual tour which visits Buddhist sites across

North India North India is a geographical region, loosely defined as a cultural region comprising the northern part of India (or historically, the Indian subcontinent) wherein Indo-Aryans (speaking Indo-Aryan languages) form the prominent majority populati ...

and

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

History

The train gets its name from the

Mahaparinirvana In Buddhism, ''Parinirvana'' (Sanskrit: '; Pali: ') describes the state entered after death by someone who has attained ''nirvana'' during their lifetime. It implies a release from '' '', karma and rebirth as well as the dissolution of the ''sk ...

the Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist lege ...

. The journey covers sacred destinations which includes Buddha's visit to various important Buddhist pilgrimage sites, such as

Lumbini Lumbinī (, "the lovely") is a Buddhist pilgrimage site in the Rupandehi District of Lumbini Province in Nepal. The Buddhist commentaries state that Maya Devi gave birth to Siddhartha Gautama in Lumbini around 624 BCE. Gautama is bel ...

(where he was born),

Bodhgaya Bodh Gayā is a religious site and place of pilgrimage associated with the Mahabodhi Temple complex, situated in the Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place where Gautama Buddha is said to have attained e ...

(where he gained enlightenment), Sarnath (where he first taught) and

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 Acc ...

(where he attained the state of Nirvana).

Features and Services

The Mahaparinirvan Express is operated by Indian Railways and Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation using carriages from a

Rajdhani Express The Rajdhani Express () is a series of passenger train services in India operated by Indian Railways connecting the national capital New Delhi with the capitals or the largest cities of various states. ''Rajdhani'', derived from the Sanskrit m ...

train. The fully air conditioned train offers three different classes of travel (first class, two tier, and three tier). The train offers an eight-day package.

References

Sources

# http://www.indianrail.gov.in/luxury_Train.html #

External links

Mahaparinirvan Express (Buddhist train circuit)
{{Indian Railways Named passenger trains of India Religious tourism in India Buddhism in India 2007 establishments in India Tourism in Delhi Rail transport in Delhi Tourism in Uttar Pradesh Rail transport in Bihar Luxury trains in India Railway services introduced in 2007 Transport in Rajgir Transport in Varanasi Transport in Gaya, India Tourism in Bihar Buddhist pilgrimages

History

Features and Services

See also

References

Sources

External links