Buddhist Pilgrimage

The book opens with a map of India marking major Buddhist pilgrimage centres and other places of Buddhist interest, including Lumbini, Kapilavastu, Vaishali, Rajgir, Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, Nalanda, Kushinagar, Sanchi, Ajanta, Karli and Bhaja caves, Nagarjunakonda, Amaravati, Dhauli, Rumtek, Tabo, and related sites. The early section, “The Buddha: Birth to Nirvana,” presents the major life-stations of the Buddha: Lumbini as the place of birth, Kapilavastu as the setting of his youth, Vaishali and Rajgir as important centres of teaching and early encounters, Bodh Gaya as the place of Enlightenment, Sarnath as the site of the First Sermon, Nalanda as a later centre of Buddhist learning, and Kushinagar as the place of Mahāparinirvāṇa. The following sections develop these themes through textual reflection and visual material, including accounts of the Buddha’s birth, the role of Queen Māyā, early Buddhist society, renunciation, the Saṅgha, dāna, pilgrimage rituals, sacred art, stupas, murals, and the continuing presence of monks and devotees at Buddhist holy places.