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• Suggested Itineraries:
I suggest one of two itineraries, both circular routes
from Delhi and back again. The first
will allow you to go to the main destinations while the second
is for the more enthusiastic pilgrim who wants to see more or
all of the known places associated with the Buddha and his disciples.
Taking the first itinerary, you will go from Delhi to Sarnath,
Bodh Gaya, Rajgir, Nalanda, Patna, Vesali, Kusinara, Lumbini,
Kapilavatthu, Savatthi and then return to Delhi; ten places altogether.
If you do this allow at least 3 weeks. The full itinerary includes
all 28 places and would require at least 5 weeks. These suggested
durations will allow you to stay in some places for a few days
both to see everything at an unhurried pace and also give you
a rest from the usual frustrations of travelling in India. You
can of course leave out some places according to your interest
or your time limit. If during your stay in India you go to Calcutta
don't miss the Indian Museum which is a veritable treasure house
of Indian Buddhist art.
• Things to
take: Apart from the usual and obvious travel
requisites I would like to suggest two other thing worth taking
with you. In most of the places the Buddha delivered one or more
discourses. Nearly all of these can be found in either Maurice
Walshe's Long Discourses of The Buddha or in Bhikkhu Bodhi's
Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha. As both these books
are a bit heavy to be carting around India, I suggest you make
photocopies of the relevant discourses and bring them with you.
To read a discourses at the very place where the Buddha delivered
it can be profound and uplifting experience. Also my guide book
Middle Land, Middle Way - A Pilgrims' Guide to the Buddha's
India is a must for the modern pilgrim. With detailed information
about places associated with the Buddha, their subsequent histories,
the art and architecture found in each, maps and diagrams, this
book will give you an in-depth understand of the things you'll
see and help to bring them alive. All three books can be got from
either Wisdom Publications, 361 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts
02115, USA [ www.wisdompubs.org ] or the Buddhist Publication
Society, PO Box 61 Kandy, Sri Lanka. Where relevant I mention
other discourses published in the Wheel Series of booklets and
give the number of each. [ BPS
Texts at 'Access to Insight' web site: http://www.accesstoinsight.org].
These booklets are also available from the Buddhist Publication
Society. If you are getting the books by post make sure you order
them well before your departure.
• Time to go:
The best time to go on pilgrimage to India is between November
and February, the Indian winter. It is warm during the day and
quite cold at night and in the early morning. Before this time
travel is difficult because of the monsoon; bridges are out, trains
are delayed and India's ubiquitous dust is transformed into slush
and mud. By the end of March the heat and dust are already unpleasant.
There are Vesak celebrations at both Bodh Gaya and Sarnath in
May but by then, believe me, the heat is a foretaste of Niriya.
In
the future I hope to explore more Buddhist sacred places. In particular
I am interested in locating Upagupta's mountain somewhere near
Mathura and exploring the hill at Bihar Sharif, the site of Odantapura
and where I believe there is a cave Naropa used to reside in.
From time to time therefore this site will be expanded. If on
returning from India you are able to correct, add to or update
any of the information either here or in Middle Land Middle Way,
or if you just want to tell me about your pilgrimage, I would
be most happy to hear from you. You can
contact me at: pitijoy@yahoo.com.
I hope
the information given here helps make your pilgrimage more meaningful.
One last thing. While on the road keep in mind these beautiful
words from the Ghandavyayu Sutra; "Think of yourself
as a pilgrim and your teachers as guides, think of their instructions
as the road and the practice as the land of your destination".
Good luck and have a safe journey.
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