Talking about important Buddhist Destinations in India, the name that supercedes others is that of Bihar. Bihar is a state in east of India with its capital at Patna. The city of Bodhgaya is one of the four holy pilgrimage destinations in Buddhism. It was here that a prince in search of truth attained enlightenment and became the Buddha. Bihar also has a number of other Buddhist attractions in store which you can discover during your trip to the state.
Mahabodhi Temple
Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Jammu Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Madhya Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh are other destinations which make for worthvisting destinations in India. The first of these, Uttar Pradesh, is home to Sarnath and Kushinagar which are other two of the four holy Buddhist sites. Sarnath was the place where the Buddha delivered His first sermon after attaining enlightenment whereas in Kushinagar, He attained Mahaparinirvana. Buddhist places like Sravasti, Sankisa, and Kaushambi are also located in Uttar Pradesh.
Dharamsala in the beautiful state of Himachal Pradesh is where the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama is settled with his followers and other countrymen. Apart from this, Himachal Pradesh also houses a number of Buddhist monasteries as well. The Ladakh region of Jammu Kashmir is predominantly Buddhists and here, too, a number of Buddhist monasteries can be seen. These monasteries are located in stunning locations, very often clinging to a hillside. The prime Buddhist attraction in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh are the Buddhist Monuments of Sanchi.
The significance of Orissa in Buddhism is that it was here that an ambitious Indian king, Ashoka, realised that violence could be of no benefit to mankind. Inspired by the teachings of the Buddha, he renounced violence and took upon himself to spread dhamma. His efforts yielded fruitful result as the teachings of the Buddha not only spread to different parts of India, but also crossed boundaries to reach foreign land. Today, worthseeing in Orissa are the Buddhist Monuments of Udayagiri, Lalitgiri, Ratnagiri and Dhauli.
The northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim are also treasure trove of Buddhist heritage. Being close to Tibet, people here is influenced by the Tibetan form of Buddhism. Influence of Theravada Buddhism is also seen in the region.
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