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