Explore a Buddhist Tour in India

For Buddhists, India is a sacred place even though the country is not essentially a Buddhist country. The reason behind India being sacred is that Lord Gauttam Buddha was born in India, in the city of Lumbini. Not only that, Gautam Buddha attained enlightened at a place near Gaya. The place is called Bodhgaya after "enlightenment".

Other than this, Lord Gautam Buddha gave his first sermon to his five disciples in a place near Varanasi. The place is called Sarnath and is easily reachable from Varanasi - via air, road and rail. Lord Buddha attained nirvana in Kushinagar, in India.

Thus there are four must visit places for Buddhist tourists:
• Lumbini
• Bodhgaya
• Sarnath
• Kushinagar

Other than the above mentioned four places, there are caves and monasteries all over India that contain teachings of Buddha. Ajanta caves, for example, contain carvings and paintings that cover Jataka tales related to Buddhism.

A Buddhist Pilgrimage tour should essentially cover the above mentioned places. The Buddhist temple tour would mean visiting not only the temples at Sarnath, Lumnini and Bodhgaya but also the paintings at Ajanta caves as it is also a Buddhist Place in India.

Lumbini is a world heritage place as people believe visiting the place is the beginning of their quest for salvation. The palace where Buddha stayed until the age of 29 is protected and preserved as are the other places of Buddhist interest - including the pond where Buddha's mother took a dip before lord Buddha was born.

Bodhgaya is a place near Gaya which again is reachable via Patna, the capital of Bihar. Patna is reachable via rail, road and air. While Gaya stands as an important place for Hindus, Bodhgaya is venerable for Buddhists. Lord Buddha gained knowledge here in one of the monasteries. The place has monasteries and paintings that reveal the life and study of Lord Buddha.

Sarnath was the place where Lord Buddha shared his knowledge with his first five disciples who actually were looking for knowledge with Buddha at Bodhgaya. As Buddha did not have money to pay for crossing the river Ganges, he walked on the water to reach Sarnath. When the king of Varanasi came to know of this enlightened person, he gifted an entire deer park and adjoining place to him - for purpose of further strengthening the studies etc. At Sarnath, you can also find a huge statue of Buddha. In addition, there is a museum.

Ajanta caves are located in the state of Maharashtra. They are total four caves out of which three contain paintings and sculptures that reveal and spread the stories from what are known as Jataka tales. It is believed by some that Lord Buddha was not the only avatar. There were several instances of Boddhisatvas on this planet. The Jataka tales tell stories of other Boddisatvas too. Even if you are not a Buddhist, you should visit the Ajanta caves just to check out the enchanting paintings and sculpture.

Your tour operator will give you more details on Buddhist Pilgrimage tour - places you will visit, schedule etc. Make sure you know things in advance so that you can pray and enjoy the peace while learning new things.

Anushka Roy is a writer. He has more than 5 years of experience in Travel industries. He is assisting travel last 3 years. For more information about India holidays and Buddhist Pilgrimage Tour

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Wildlife Tour of India

Located in Central India, Madhya Pradesh is bordered by Uttar Pradesh in the northeast, Gujarat in the west, Maharashtra in the south-west and Chhattisgarh in the southeast.Ancient palaces, fortresses, temples, archaeological museums, waterfalls and wildlife abound in this state, making it an attractive tourism destination. Every region in the state has something to offer in terms of its rich history and natural sights.

Heritage

The finesse and tastefulness of the royals who ruled Madhya Pradesh are evident in the architecture of the various palaces and fortresses in the state.

The main heritage attractions in Mandu are the Jal Mahal, Baz Bahadur Palace and Hindola Mahal. The Hindola Mahal has a well which is connected with underground vaulted rooms with arrangements for cold and hot water.

The Dhar Fort houses the Kharbuja Mahal with melon- shaped domes and Sheesh Mahal. The architecture of the Lalbagh Palace in Indore has a European influence. The Gujari Mahal in Gwalior Fort stands as a monument of love of Raja Mansingh Tomar for his Gujar queen Mrignani. The Jai Vilas Palace here is an elegant white sprawling building and also houses the H.H. Maharaja Sir Jiwaji Rao Scindia Museum. The Ater Fort in the ravines of Chambal has a few attractions like the Khooni Darwaza. Badan Singh Ka Mahal. Raja Ka Bangla. Rani Ka Bangla and Barah Khamba Mahal. The Vijayraghavgarh Fort in Jabalpur boasts of a number of features like the Kachahari, Hamam, an amphitheatre. a temple and a baodi (well).

Some significant museums in the state are the Archaeological Museum of Chanderi, ASI Museums in Khajuraho and Mandu, Birla Museum of Bhopal, Sarod Museum of Gwalior, the Central Museum of Indore, State Museum in Bhopal, Site Museum in Sanchi and the Tribal and Folk Art Museum in Khajuraho. The varied historic collections and exhibits in these museums are evident of the region's distant past.

Pilgrimage: The popular pilgrimage centres in the state are Bada Ganesh ka Mandir, Chausath Yogini Temple, Gadkalika Mandir, Gauri Somnath Temple, Harsiddhi Ma, Karna Math Mandir and Shri Gopal temple.

Wildlife: Madhya Pradesh prides itself on the abundantwildlife found, especially in the Vindhya and Satpura Ranges. Best known ones are the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. Kanha National park. Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhav National Park and the Mandla Fossil National Park.These parks are home to a sizeable number of tigers. Sambar, Chital (spotted deer). Chowsingha, Nilgai, Chinkar. Gaur and wild pigs are some of the herbivores common in these reserves. Wild animals include leopards, wild dogs. Hyena, jackal, sloth bear, grey langur and wolves.Some of these wildlife parks are also home to over 200 varieties of birds like cormorants, darters, storks, ibises, pintail ducks, Brahminy ducks, fishing eagles, spot bills. bar-headed geese, shrikes and wagtails and vultures.The Satpura region is an important habitat for freshwater crocodiles, flying squirrels and jungle fowl among others.Besides wildlife, these reserves have other tourist attractions too. The Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve has the Bandhavgarh Fort, Badi Gufa and Chakradhara. The attractions in the Kanha Reserve consist of the Shravan Tal, Macha Dongar and Bamni Dadar. At the Madhav National Park. one can visit the Sakhya Sagar Lake, Madhav Lake, George Castle, Bhurakho and the Sailing Club.

Leisure: Madhya Pradesh is also known for breathtaking waterfalls, lakes and dams such as the Dhuandhar Falls, Jamuna Pratap. Rajat Pratap, Jalawataran, Raneh Falls and Pandav Falls, Upper Lake, Sakhya Sagar and Madhav Sagar. Multi-purpose dams like Bansagar, Bargi, Kerwa, Tawa, Bhadbhada and Halahi also serve as picnic spots.

Madhya Pradesh has plentiful places of interest, which makes it all the more worthwhile to plan a leisurely itinerary to see and soak up all that the state has to offer by way of its heritage. Pilgrimage, Wildlife and leisure.

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Harness the Benefits of Cheap Domestic Flights in India

Ever since airlines have been privatized, people of India are having a field day. A lot of people have shifted to flying rather than taking the train, which takes a lot of time to reach if the destination is far off. People of India also seem to have realized the numerous benefits of flying. Here are five major benefits.

Firstly, you save time and when you are on a holiday, nothing is more precious than time. Every place in India has so many things to do and see that holidays seem to melt away very quickly. Usually, travelling a distance of nearly 1100 kilometers from Chennai to Mumbai takes more than twenty four hours. If you choose Mumbai to Chennai flights, it takes around less than one and a half hours. So, you get almost four additional days to spend on your vacations.

Secondly, train journey has a major flaw with regard to frequency of trains. Direct long distance trains are not available everyday from all stations. There are a lot of weekly and bi-weekly trains which might not coincide with your vacation time. On the other hand, flights to Mumbai from Chennai are many. What is more, since there are many airline services, you are sure to find a place in one of the Mumbai to Chennai flights.

You also need to consider the fact that many hill stations, owing to their rough hilly terrains, do not have a railway station at all. A few hill stations such as Shimla do have a railway line but it is a narrow gauge and unsuitable for regular passenger trains. If you choose train journey, you have to take a train to the nearest railway station and then take a bus or taxi to the spot. You not only have to spend a lot of time, but also experience a lot of discomfort of lengthy travel, especially if you are travelling with kids. In order to compensate for the absence of a regular railway line, important hill stations have small airport facility which can accommodate small flights. The small Mumbai flights of the low cost airlines can fly into these airports.

The fourth factor is ease of travel. Indian trains are crowded all the time. Major stations in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai or other major cities are a beehive of activity. Added to the rush and crowd is the fact that trains seldom run on time. When you consider all these factors, Mumbai flights or air travel to any destination seems like god sent. Mumbai to Chennai flights are much more comfortable when compared to train travel. More importantly, flights to Mumbai are safer than train travel. The incidents of thefts which are reported on trains do not happen on aircrafts. In case your luggage in misplaced on Mumbai flights, the airline officials ensure that the luggage reaches your home safely because once you check in the luggage and it goes into the cargo box, it is the responsibility of the flight to ensure its safety.

Finally, the cost matters a lot. Low cost flights to Mumbai are sometimes cheaper than air conditioned train travel. So, on the whole, it works out well.

Mumbai to Chennai flights, flights to Mumbai and Mumbai flights offer amazing convenience of travel. So, if you are travelling to your favorite tourist destination, book a low cost air ticket. You save time, money and the journey is more convenient. Your travel agent can arrange a low cost flight for you.

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