| India, though with a very small percentage of | | | | The Dalai Lama settled here post Chinese invasion of |
| Buddhist population, is still a hotspot when it comes | | | | Tibet forced him to leave his homeland along with |
| to selecting a destination for Buddhist holiday. The | | | | thousands of his followers. Dharamsala is a wonderful |
| sheer number of Buddhist sites here is wonderful. | | | | place incase travellers want to know more about the |
| Also, India, being the land where Buddhism originated | | | | Tibetan form of Buddhism. Tibetan form of Buddhism |
| makes it one of the top most destination for a | | | | can also be witnessed in Sikkim and Arunachal |
| vacation. | | | | Pradesh. In the former, the Rumtek Dharma Chakra |
| So, what are the sites that a Buddhist, or for that | | | | Monastery and in the latter the Tawang Monastery |
| matter anyone interested in Buddhism, should visit in | | | | are pretty well known. |
| India? The top ten of these sites are Bodhgaya, | | | | The Ajanta and Ellora Caves are located in |
| Sarnath, Kushinagar, Ladakh, Ajanta Ellora Caves, | | | | Maharashtra and are a World Heritage Site. The |
| Dharamsala, Sanchi, Nalanda, Sikkim an Arunachal | | | | caves are fine examples of early Buddhist |
| Pradesh. | | | | architecture. The Buddhist Monuments of Sanchi in |
| The first three of these - Bodhgaya, Sarnath and | | | | Madhya Pradesh, too, are designated World Heritage |
| Kushinagar - are amongst the four sacred sites in | | | | Sites. Nalanda was once the most renowned |
| Buddhism. Bodhgaya is the place where Prince | | | | university of the World. |
| Siddhartha, after years of spiritual practice, attained | | | | For foreign travellers landing at Mumbai or Chennai |
| enlightenment and became the Buddha. The | | | | airport, it is good to start their Buddhist journey by |
| Mahabodhi Temple complex with the descendent of | | | | exploring the Ajanta Ellora Caves. This can be |
| the tree under which Buddha attained enlightenment, | | | | followed by visits to Sanchi, Sarnath, Kushinagar, |
| is the top attraction here. Sarnath, the place where | | | | Bodhgaya, Nalanda, Dharamsala and Ladakh (not |
| the Buddha delivered his first sermon has the | | | | strictly in that order). Visits to Arunachal and Sikkim |
| Dhamek Stupa and Sarnath Museum as its prime | | | | can come at the end of the trip. Those landing at |
| attraction while Kushinagar, where the Buddha | | | | Delhi or Kolkata airport can explore Sanchi, Sarnath, |
| breathed his last, has the Mahaparinirvana Temple as | | | | Kushinagar, Bodhgaya, Nalanda, Dharamsala, Ladakh, |
| its prime attraction. | | | | Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim (not strictly in that |
| Ladakh has a good percentage of Buddhist population | | | | order) first and then proceed towards Ajanta Ellora |
| and hence offers an opportunity to interact with | | | | Caves. |
| people. Also, a number of monasteries dot this | | | | This, is just one travel plan based on the location of |
| strikingly beautiful land, the most famous amongst | | | | the sites. However, the actual plan of the travellers |
| these being the Hemis Monastery. An annual festival | | | | should take into consideration number of other |
| is celebrated in the compound of Hemis which | | | | factors like the climate and current situations. It is a |
| attracts a number of visitors, both from India and | | | | good idea to visit any of these place at a time when |
| abroad. | | | | a Buddhist festival is being celebrated there. |
| Dharamsala provides shelter to a number of Tibetans. | | | | |