India Travel
Kushinagar west of Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh
Set against a pastoral landscape, the small hamlet of KUSHINAGAR, 53km west of Gorakhpur, is revered as the site of Buddha’s Mahaparinirvana, his death and cremation that marked his final liberation from the cycles of death and rebirth. During the Buddha’s lifetime, Kushinara, as it was then called, was a small kingdom of the Mallas, surrounded by forest. It remained forgotten until the late nineteenth century when archeologists rediscovered the site, and began excavations - based on the writings of the seventh-century Chinese pilgrims, including Xuan Zhang.
Set in a leafy park in the heart of Kushinagar, the Nirvana Stupa, dated to the reign of Kumaragupta I (413-455 AD), was extensively rebuilt by Burmese Buddhists in 1927. Within the accompanying shrine lies a large gilded reclining Buddha, reconstructed from the remains of an earlier Malla image, and the surrounding area is strewn with stupas erected by pious pilgrims, as well as the ruins of four monasteries. At a crossing immediately southwest, excavations continue at the Mathakunwar shrine, where a stunning tenth-century blue schist Buddha has been unearthed. About 1.5km southeast of the main site -surrounded by fields of rice, wheat and cane - the crumbling bricks of the Ramabhar Stupa are thought to be the original Mukutabandhana Stupa erected to mark the spot of the Buddha’s cremation.
Today Kushinagar is rediscovering its roots as a centre of international Buddhism, and is home to many viharas (monasteries), including a Tibetan gompa devoted to Shakyamuni (the historical Buddha), a Burmese vihara, and temples from China and Japan. The strikingly simple Japanese Temple, built by Atago Isshin World Buddhist Cultural Association, consists of a single circular chamber housing a great golden image of the Buddha, softly lit through small, stained-glass windows. In May an annual festival - the Bukkha Mahotsav - is held in Kushinagar to celebrate the occasion of the Buddha Purnima.
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Practicalities of Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh
Regular buses link Kushinagar with Gorakhpur (2hr) and Varanasi (8hr). Shared taxis and Jeeps also travel to and from Gorakhpur, but are a lot less comfortable. The airport is closed to commercial flights. UP Tourism maintains a low-key office and information desk at the tourist bungalow, Pathik Niwas. Both the Government of India and UP Tourism run comprehensive tours of the whole "Buddhist Circuit" ofUttar Pradesh, which can be booked either at che tourist office in Kushinagar or in Delhi. Accommodation is available in rooms for visiting pilgrims at some of the temples such as the Myanmar Buddhist emple (as
Gorakhpur north of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh
GORAKHPUR. 230km north ofVaranasi, which rose to prominence as a way-station on a pilgrim route linking Kushinagar (the place of Buddha's enlightenment) and Lumbini (his birthplace, across the border in Nepal), is now known primarily as a gateway to Nepal. It was named after the Shaivite yogi Gorakhnath. and holds a large ashram and temple dedicated to him. Tourists and pilgrims tend to hurry through, their departure hastened by the towns infamous flies and mosquitoes; if you do get stranded, there's a bustling bazaar, adequate amenities and a few passable hotels.
Practicalities of Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh
There are three bus stands - the main Railway bus stand, 1km north of the centre, for buses from the Nepalese border at Sonauli and Kushinagar; the Kacheri bus stand, lkm southwest of the station, for services from Allahabad, Lucknow and Varanasi; and the main bus stand for Varanasi (6hr) and Nepal-Varanasi buses, at Pedleyganj, 2km southeast of the station. Major daily trains servicing Gorakhpur include the fast Vaishali Express #2553 to Lucknow and Delhi (5.10pm) and the Gorakhpur-Dadar Express #1028 for Mumbai via Varanasi (5am); among trains to Varanasi (6hr) are the fast Kashi Express #1028 (5am) and the Chauri-Chaura
Details of Eastern UP
Flowing beyond Allahabad across the plains of EASTERN UP, the Ganges turns sharply north at Chunar and traces a great arc through ancient Varanasi. Even before the Hindus declared this to be the most sacred spot on earth, it stood at the centre of die Buddhist universe, linked by trading routes from Rajgir in Bihar to Mathura near Delhi. It was on the outskirts of Varanasi, at the deer park at Sarnath, that the Buddha delivered his first sermon. North ofVaranasi, the much-travelled road to Nepal passes through the large administrative town of Gorakhpur, not far from Kushinagar, where the
Moving on from Lucknow in the Central UP
Indian Airlines flights from Lucknow include daily flights to Varanasi, Mumbai and Calcutta via Patna, and several to Delhi. Indian Airlines have offices at Hotel Clarks Avadh, 8 Mahatma Gandhi Marg, and at the airport at Amausi (information). Sahara India Airlines, Sahara India Tower, 7 Kapoorthala Complex also fly to Mumbai, Varanasi and Delhi. By rail, the excellent all a/c Shatabdi Express #2003 goes to Delhi (Daily 3.20pm; 7hr); cheaper alternatives include the Gomti Express #2419 (daily except Tues; 5.25am, 8hr), and the slower overnight Lucknow Mail #4229 (10pm; 9hr 45min). The best choice to Agra is the Avadh Express #5063
Accommodation and eating to Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh
Gorakhpur has a wide range of hotels from the budget-type near the station to the mid-range in the dull commercial hub around Golghar, lkm southwest. During the hot months, air-cooled or the more expensive a/c rooms are welcome, especially if you have just come down from the mountains. Cheap dhabos can be found in the vicinity of the station; a row of them stand outside the station gates. Elsewhere, the best eating new multi-cuisine Bobos restaurant in Golghar. Bobina, Nepal Road. About 2km from the station: a tacky pastel-coloured and uniquely depressing museum of kitsch that may the familiar from your
Faizabad southwest of Ayodhya in the Uttar Pradesh
During the reign of Shuja-ud-Daula (1756-75), as the Moghul empire disintegrated. FAIZABAD, 6km southwest of Ayodhya, attracted craftsmen, artists and musicians from Delhi. However, the first capital of Avadh declined in tandem with the rise of Lucknow. Among the few monuments to survive is the lofty white marble Tomb of Bahu Begum, widow of Shuja-ud-Daula, close to the the nawab's own mausoleum. Faizabad's cantonment area is a legacy of British rule - caught up in the rebellion of 1857, it was thankfully spared the bloodshed seen in Kanpur and Lucknow. Cheap central accommodation can be found near the chowk in the
Bodhgaya
BODHGAYA, 13km south of Gaya beside the River Phalgu, is sacred to Buddhists as the place where the Buddha gained enlightenment. A giant Buddhist resort of international monasteries and temples has grown up around the imposing Mahabodhi temple, which holds the world's most revered tree, an offshoot of the original Bodhi tree under which the Buddha supposedly sat. Bodhgaya is by far the most important and significant of the four holy sites of Buddhism - the other three being Buddha's birthplace, Lumbini in Nepal; Sarnath nearVaranasi, where he preached his first sermon ("The Turning of the Wheel of Dharma"); and Kushinagar
Govardhan west of Mathura in the Uttar Pradesh
GOVARDHAN, 25km west of Mathura, is significant as Krishna is said to have lifted the hill of the same name on the tip of one finger, to shelter the inhabitants of Braj from a deluge caused by the wrath of the god Indra. A popular Vaishnavite icon, the entire hill is circumambulated by thousands of pilgrims each year. The eponymous town is clustered close to a masonry tank known as Mansi Ganga, in a gap towards the hill's northern end. Two impressive cenotaphs immediately opposite the tank commemorate Randhir Singh and Baladeva Singh, two of the Bharatpur rajas, while the
Kanpur and around in the Central UP
The teeming metropolis of KANPUR, 438km east of Delhi and 190km west of Allahabad, is among the most polluted cities in the world, and most visitors are there solely for business. Kanpur has been a textile-manufacturing centre since its cotton mills were established in 1869, and together with its twin city, Lucknow, 76km northeast, it dominates the industrial heartland of Uttar Pradesh. Unlike other points along the Ganges, the riverside is of little significance; its ghats are run down, and only those at Bithur, 20km upstream, are worth exploring.
Moving on from Varanasi to the Eastern UP
Indian Airlines' daily flight to Kathmandu gets very heavily booked in winter; there are two daily flights to Delhi, one via Khajuraho and Agra and two to Mumbai. Sahara India Airlines fly daily from Varanasi to Delhi, and Patna, and from Patna to Lucknow and Mumbai. Allow at least ninety minutes from the Old City to the airport due to gridlock. Most of the super-fast trains on the main east-west line between Delhi and Calcutta such as the Rajdhani, bypass Varanasi but stop at Mughal Sarai, an arduous 45 minutes away by road or a short train ride. Varanasi station has
Moving on from Varanasi in Eastern UP
Indian Airlines' daily flight to Kathmandu gets very heavily booked in winter; there are two daily flights to Delhi, one via Khajuraho and Agra and two to Mumbai. Sahara India Airlines fly daily from Varanasi to Delhi, and Patna, and from Patna to Lucknow and Mumbai. Allow at least ninety minutes from the Old City to the airport due to gridlock. Most of the super-fast trains on the main east-west line between Delhi and Calcutta such as the Rajdhani, bypass Varanasi but stop at Mughal Sarai, an arduous 45 minutes away by road or a short train ride. Varanasi station has
Travel details for Uttar Pradesh
Trains Note that most important trains to Varanasi stop at Moghul Sarai, requiring a change of trains or a connecting bus or taxi. Agra to: Ahmedabad (1 weekly; 27hr 30min); Alwar (1 dally; 4hr); Btiopal (16-19 daily; 5hr 30min-9hr): Bhubaneshwar (1 daily; 39hr); Chennai (1-2 daily; 34hr-42hr); Delhi (15 daily; 2hr-4hr 15min); Gwalior (15-19 daily; 1hr 15min-2hr); Indore (1 daily; 14hr 25min); Jaipur (3 daily; 7hr); Jalgaon (3-4 daily; 14hr 20min-19hr); Jhansi (15-19 daily; 2hr 25min-5hr); Jodhpur (3 daily; 13hr); Kanpur (4 daily; 7hr): Kolkota (Calcutta) (1 daily; 30hr); Lucknow (3 daily: 7hr-8hr 30min); Mathura (12 daily; 1hr 30min-2hr); Mumbai (2 daily;
Diwan-i-Am to the Fatehpur Sikri in the Uttar Pradesh
The logical place to begin a tour of the palace complex, whose layout is thought to have been inspired by the form of a Moghul camp, is the Diwan-i-Am (Hall of Public Audience), at the far northeast edge of the enclosure (follow the walkway from the ticket booth). Surrounded by colonnades, cloisters and exquisite pierced-stone jali screens, this was where important festivals were held, and where citizens could exercise their right to petition the king, whose throne would have occupied the raised pavilion at its west side. Note the position of the royal platform in relation to the enclosure's main
Around Mathura of the Braj in the Uttar Pradesh
At the very heart of Braj, Mathura is the obvious base for peregrinations into the pastoral landscape associated with the adolescent Krishna, where the sacred temple-crowned hills of Govardhan, Barsana and Nandagaon stand in striking contrast to the prevailing flatness. Very little survives of its idyllic legendary forests, and only serious pilgrims would choose to walk rather than catch one of the numerous local buses.
Travel details in Delhi
Trains To Rajasthan: Abu Road (3-4 daily; 11hr 10min-14hr 15min); Ajmer (5-6 daily; 7hr 1 Omin-11 hr 5min); Bharatpur (5 daily; 2hr 50min-4hr 15min): Bikaner (3 daily; 1Ohr 20min-11hr 4Dmin): Chittaurgarti (2 daily: 16hr 30min); Jaipur (10-12 daily; 4hr 25min-11hr 35min); Jodfipur (2 daily; 10hr 55min-13hr 40min); Kota (7-9 daily; 4hr 40min-10hr 45min); Sawai Madhopur (7 daily; 5hr 15min-8hr 15min); Udaipur (2 daily: 15hr 10min-21hr 15min). To Uttar Pradesh: Agra (18-20 daily: Itir 55min-4br 40min); Allahabad (10-12 daily; 7-14tir), Delira Dun (2-3 daily; 5hr 25min-10hr 20min); GoraKhpur (4-5 daily; 13hr 30min-22hr 5fnin); Kanpur (18-22 daily; 4tir 25min-8hr 20min); Lucknow (5-6 daily;
Practicalities to Ayodhya in the Uttar Pradesh
Though Ayodhya has a small railway station of its own, most visitors come for the day from busy Faizabad, on buses and auto-rickshaws from the station there. If you want to stay in Ayodhya, the tourist bungalow Hotel Saket, next to the station, has a dorm (Rs50) and a wide range of rooms, as well as a poorly managed restaurant. Alternatively, the Birla Dhararnsala, on the main road, has very decent and cheap accommodation in its "VIP" rooms. Ayodhya is a vegetarian town.
Chaukhandi Stupa in Sarnath at Uttar Pradesh
The dilapidated brick remains of the Chaukhandi Stupa, 1km south of the main site, date from the Gupta period (300-700 AD), and are said to mark the spot where the Buddha was reunited with the Panchavargiya Bikshus, his five ascetic companions who had previously deserted him. Standing on a terraced rectangular plinth, the stupa is capped by an incongruous octagonal Moghul tower, built by Akbar m 1589 AD to commemorate his father's visit to the site.
Crafts in Hyderabad
Crafts Leepakshi The AP state government emporium at Gun foundry on MG Road, stocks a wide range of handicrafts, including Bidri metalwork, jewellery and silks. Utkalika (Government of Orissa handicrafts), House no. 60-1 -67, between the Ravindra Bharati building and Hotel Ashoka, has a modest selection of silver filigree jewellery, hand-loom cloth, ikhattie-dye, Jagannath papier-mache. Figures and buffalo bore carvings. Cheneta Bhavan is a modem shopping complex a little south of the railway station, stuffed with hand-loom cloth shops from various states, including Tamil Nadu. Uttar Pradesh. Rajasthan. Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. For silks and saris, try Meena Bazaar. Pocfiampally
Information of the Agra in the Uttar Pradesh
Agra has two tourist offices, one run by the Government of India, at 191 The Mall (Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm, Sat 9am-1pm), and one run by UF Tourism, close to the darks Shimz, at 64 Taj Rd (same hours); there is also an information booth at Cantonment station. The Government of India office is better organized and provides information about other destinations, though both supply information on hotels and local sights, and details of tours that start and end at Agra Cantonment railway station.