Buddhist Tour Packages

About the Buddhist Circuit of India

India is the birthplace of Buddhism — the religion that today shapes the spiritual lives of nearly half a billion people across the world. Gautama Buddha was born, attained enlightenment, gave his first sermon and entered Mahaparinirvana all on the Indian subcontinent. As a result, India holds seven of the eight most sacred Buddhist sites in the world.

The Buddhist Tour Packages take pilgrims and travellers along the great Buddhist Circuit — Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, Kushinagar, Rajgir, Vaishali, Shravasti, Sanchi, Nalanda — and beyond, into the Himalayan monasteries of Dharamshala (home of the Dalai Lama), Spiti and Ladakh, where Tibetan Buddhism continues to flourish today.

This tour is for everyone — devout Buddhists from across Asia, scholars of religion, photographers drawn to the silence and architecture of the monasteries, and travellers simply seeking a quieter, more contemplative side of India.

Best Time to Visit

• October – March — the ideal window for the plains circuit (Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, Kushinagar, Rajgir, Vaishali, Shravasti). Cool weather, clear skies.
• April – June — hot in the plains (above 40 °C). Best for the Himalayan monasteries — Dharamshala, Ladakh, Spiti — where the snow has melted and roads have opened.
• July – September — monsoon. Plains are humid and waterlogged; some Himalayan routes (especially Spiti) are dangerous.

The Buddhist Circuit — Sites of India

Bodh Gaya — Where Buddha Attained Enlightenment

The most important Buddhist site in the world. Bodh Gaya is where Prince Siddhartha sat under the Bodhi tree and became Buddha, the Enlightened One. Set in Bihar, the site centres on the UNESCO-listed Mahabodhi Temple with its towering 50-metre spire, surrounded by monasteries built by Buddhist nations across the world.

Highlights

• Mahabodhi Temple Complex (UNESCO)
• The Bodhi Tree — descendant of the original tree of enlightenment
• Vajrasana — the diamond throne where Buddha meditated
• The Seven Sacred Spots — where Buddha spent each week after enlightenment
• Lotus Pond & Animeshlochan Chaitya
• Thai, Bhutanese, Japanese, Tibetan & Vietnamese monasteries
• 80 ft Great Buddha Statue
• Archaeological Museum

Sarnath — Where Buddha Gave His First Sermon

Just 12 km from Varanasi, Sarnath is where Buddha delivered his first teaching after enlightenment — laying out the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path to a small group of disciples in the deer park. The Lion Capital of Ashoka found here is now India’s national emblem.

Highlights

• Dhamek Stupa — built where Buddha first taught
• Chaukhandi Stupa
• Ashoka Pillar & the original Lion Capital (now in the museum)
• Sarnath Archaeological Museum — home of India’s national emblem
• Mulagandha Kuti Vihar
• Bodhi Tree — sapling from the original Bodh Gaya tree

Kushinagar — Where Buddha Attained Mahaparinirvana

The place where Buddha left his physical body and entered final nirvana. The 6 m reclining Buddha statue at the Mahaparinirvana Temple is one of the most powerful sculptures in the Buddhist world.

Highlights

• Mahaparinirvana Temple & Reclining Buddha
• Ramabhar Stupa — site of Buddha’s cremation
• Matha Kuar Shrine — single-stone Buddha statue
• Wat Thai Temple
• Indo-Japan-Sri Lanka Temple
• Chinese Temple

Rajgir — The First Buddhist Council

Buddha gave many of his most important sermons at Rajgir’s Vulture’s Peak (Griddhakuta), and the very first Buddhist Council was held here after his Mahaparinirvana to compile his teachings.

Highlights

• Vishwa Shanti Stupa — World Peace Pagoda built by the Japanese, atop Ratnagiri Hill
• Griddhakuta (Vulture’s Peak) — Buddha’s open-air “lecture hall”
• Pippala Cave
• Saptaparni Cave — site of the First Buddhist Council
• Jivakarama Vihara — physician Jivaka’s mango garden, where Buddha was treated
• Ajatashatru Fort & Cyclopean walls
• Rajgir hot springs

Vaishali — Buddha’s Last Sermon

Buddha gave his last sermon here before walking onward to Kushinagar. Emperor Ashoka commemorated this with the magnificent Ashokan Lion Pillar — one of the few that survives intact today.

Highlights

• Ashokan Lion Pillar (single intact lion)
• Ananda Stupa
• Relic Stupa — once held a portion of Buddha’s ashes
• Abhishek Pushkarn (Coronation Tank)
• Kutagarasala Vihara
• Bawan Pokhar Temple
• Kundalpur — birthplace of Lord Mahavira (Jain pilgrimage)

Shravasti — Where Buddha Spent 24 Rainy Seasons

Buddha spent more time in Shravasti than at any other location — 24 rainy retreats. The Anandabodhi Tree, planted from a sapling of the Bodh Gaya tree, still stands today.

Highlights

• Jetavana Monastery — where Buddha gave many famous discourses
• Anandabodhi Tree
• Anathapindika & Angulimala Stupas
• Shobhnath Temple — believed to be the birthplace of Jain saint Sambhavnath
• Saheth-Maheth archaeological complex

Sanchi — Ashokan Stupa Complex

Built by Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE, Sanchi is home to the oldest stone structures in India and one of the finest Buddhist monuments anywhere — the Great Stupa with its four ornately carved toranas (gateways) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Nalanda — The Ancient University

The world’s oldest residential university (5th–12th century), where 10,000 students from across Asia once studied Buddhist philosophy. The ruins of Nalanda are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Himalayan Buddhist Trail

Dharamshala — Home of the Dalai Lama

The spiritual home of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and the Tibetan exile community. McLeod Ganj (Upper Dharamshala) feels more like Lhasa than India — Tibetan monasteries, prayer wheels, momos and butter tea.

Highlights

• Tsuglagkhang (Dalai Lama Temple Complex) — open 8 AM – 8 PM
• Namgyal Monastery
• Tibet Museum
• Tibetan Library of Works & Archives
• Bhagsu Falls & St John in the Wilderness
• Trek to Triund

Key Monastery, Spiti Valley

The largest and most photographed monastery of Spiti, dramatically perched at 4,166 m overlooking the Spiti River. Founded in the 11th century, Key houses ancient Buddha statues, manuscripts and murals.

Highlights

• Key Monastery (Pasada style architecture)
• Tabo Monastery — over 1,000 years old, called “the Ajanta of the Himalayas”
• Dhankar Monastery — built into a cliff
• Komic — world’s highest village with a road
• Best season: June – September only

Other Himalayan Buddhist Sites

• Hemis, Thiksey, Diskit Monasteries in Ladakh
• Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim — seat of the Karmapa
• Tawang Monastery, Arunachal Pradesh — the largest in India

Buddhist Cuisine — What to Try

Traditional Buddhist meals are vegetarian, simple and built around staples like rice, congee or noodles with stir-fried, braised or stewed vegetables. In Tibetan and Himalayan Buddhist regions, hearty noodle soups dominate.

• Thukpa — Tibetan noodle soup with vegetables, mushrooms or tofu
• Momos — steamed dumplings with vegetable, paneer or soybean fillings
• Tingmo — soft steamed Tibetan bread, eaten with stew
• Mushroom Noodle Soup (Luohanmian) — temple cuisine featuring assorted mushrooms over thin noodles
• Tofu & mock-meat dishes — vegetarian “chicken” and “fish” made from soy and bean curd, common in Buddhist temple kitchens
• Butter Tea (Po Cha) — salted Tibetan tea, an essential part of Himalayan Buddhist hospitality
• Khichdi & sattvic thalis — at Bodh Gaya and Sarnath, simple no-onion-no-garlic vegetarian meals

How to Reach the Buddhist Circuit

By Air

The main gateway airport is Gaya International Airport (GAY), which serves Bodh Gaya directly with seasonal direct flights from Bangkok, Yangon and Colombo (peak season Oct–Mar). Other useful airports: Varanasi (VNS) for Sarnath, Patna (PAT) for Rajgir/Vaishali/Nalanda, Lucknow (LKO) for Shravasti, Gorakhpur (GOP) for Kushinagar.

By Train

The Buddhist Circuit is well connected by rail — Gaya Junction, Varanasi Junction, Patna and Gorakhpur are all major stations. Indian Railways even runs the dedicated Mahaparinirvana Express luxury Buddhist tour train each season.

By Road

The classic 7–10 day Buddhist Circuit by chauffeur-driven car is: Delhi → Lucknow → Shravasti → Kushinagar → Vaishali → Patna → Nalanda → Rajgir → Bodh Gaya → Varanasi (Sarnath) → Delhi. See our fleet — Innova Crysta and Tempo Traveller are most popular.

Ready to walk in the footsteps of the Buddha? Use the booking card on the right or chat with Prithvi on WhatsApp — we’ll plan a 7-day plains circuit, a 14-day full Buddhist Circuit, or extend it to Dharamshala / Spiti / Ladakh for the Himalayan monasteries.