The most important places in Buddhism are located in the Indo-Gangetic Plain of northern India and southern Nepal, in the area between New Delhi and Rajgir. This is the area where Gautama Buddha lived and taught, and the main sites connected to his life are now important places of pilgrimage for both Buddhists and Hindus. Many countries that are or were predominantly Buddhist have shrines and places which can be visited as a pilgrimage.
Four main pilgrimage sites listed by Buddha himselfEdit
Gautama Buddha himself had identified the following four sites most worthy of pilgrimage for his followers, observing that these would produce a feeling of spiritual urgency:[1]
Lumbini: birthplace of Prince Siddhartha (in Nepal)
Bodh Gaya: (in the current Mahabodhi Temple, Bihar, India), is the most important religious site and place of pilgrimage, the Mahabodhi Temple houses what is believed to be the Bodhi Tree where Prince Siddhārtha attained enlightenment (Nibbana) and became known as Gautama Buddha.
In addition the four sites mentioned earlier (Lumbini, Bodh Gaya, Sarnath and Kushinagar), the Buddhist texts later written by Buddha's followers also mention four more sacred sites where a certain miraculous event is reported to have occurred, thus completing the list of "Attha-mahathanani" (Pali for "The Eight Great Places") in India:[2]
Rajgir: Place of the subduing of Nalagiri, the angry elephant, through friendliness. Rajgir was another major city of ancient India, with Nalanda nearby (14 km), a major center of Mahayana Buddhist learning.
Vaishali: Place of receiving an offering of honey from a monkey. Vaishali was the capital of the Vajjian Republic of ancient India.
Sravasti: Place of the Twin Miracle, showing his supernatural abilities in performance of miracles. Sravasti is also the place where Buddha spent the largest amount of time, being a major city in ancient India.
Sankassa: Place of the descending to earth from Tavatimsa heaven (after a stay of 3 months teaching his mother the Abhidhamma).
Topra between Kurukshetra and Yamunanagar, now has a large open air museum park housing several replica of Ashoka's edicts including largest Ashoka Chakra in the world
Shikoku Pilgrimage, Eighty-eight Temples pilgrimage in the Shikoku island, Japan
Japan 100 Kannon Pilgrimage, pilgrimage circuit that is composed of three independent pilgrimages (Saigoku, Bandō and Chichibu), consist of one hundred Temples.
Why do Buddhists go on Pilgrimage? Buddhism for Beginners
September 18, 2023
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The most important places in Buddhism are located in the Indo Gangetic Plain of northern India and southern Nepal in the area between New Delhi and Rajgir This is the area where Gautama Buddha lived and taught and the main sites connected to his life are now important places of pilgrimage for both Buddhists and Hindus Many countries that are or were predominantly Buddhist have shrines and places which can be visited as a pilgrimage Pilgrims Tsurphu Gompa Tibet 1993Contents 1 Sites associated with Buddha s life 1 1 Four main pilgrimage sites listed by Buddha himself 1 2 The Eight Great Places of pilgrimage 1 3 Other sites related to Buddha s travels 1 3 1 Alphabetically by states 1 3 2 Chronologically by routes 2 Other pilgrimage places by country 3 See also 4 Notes 5 References 6 External linksSites associated with Buddha s life EditFour main pilgrimage sites listed by Buddha himself Edit Gautama Buddha himself had identified the following four sites most worthy of pilgrimage for his followers observing that these would produce a feeling of spiritual urgency 1 Lumbini birthplace of Prince Siddhartha in Nepal Bodh Gaya in the current Mahabodhi Temple Bihar India is the most important religious site and place of pilgrimage the Mahabodhi Temple houses what is believed to be the Bodhi Tree where Prince Siddhartha attained enlightenment Nibbana and became known as Gautama Buddha Sarnath formally Isipathana Uttar Pradesh India where Gautama Buddha delivered his first sermon Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta and He taught about the Middle Way the Four Noble Truths and Noble Eightfold Path Kusinagara now Kushinagar Uttar Pradesh India where Gautama Buddha died and attained Parinirvana The Eight Great Places of pilgrimage Edit In addition the four sites mentioned earlier Lumbini Bodh Gaya Sarnath and Kushinagar the Buddhist texts later written by Buddha s followers also mention four more sacred sites where a certain miraculous event is reported to have occurred thus completing the list of Attha mahathanani Pali for The Eight Great Places in India 2 Rajgir Place of the subduing of Nalagiri the angry elephant through friendliness Rajgir was another major city of ancient India with Nalanda nearby 14 km a major center of Mahayana Buddhist learning Vaishali Place of receiving an offering of honey from a monkey Vaishali was the capital of the Vajjian Republic of ancient India Sravasti Place of the Twin Miracle showing his supernatural abilities in performance of miracles Sravasti is also the place where Buddha spent the largest amount of time being a major city in ancient India Sankassa Place of the descending to earth from Tavatimsa heaven after a stay of 3 months teaching his mother the Abhidhamma nbsp nbsp Lumbini nbsp Bodh Gaya nbsp Sarnath nbsp Rajgir nbsp Sravasti nbsp Sankasia nbsp Vaishali nbsp Kusinaraclass notpageimage The Eight Great Places in Buddhism Four Great Places are plotted in red Other sites related to Buddha s travels Edit Main article Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India nbsp Tibetan pilgrim Rewalsar Lake Himachal PradeshSome other pilgrimage places in India and Nepal connected to the life of Gautama Buddha are mostly located in the Gangetic plain Alphabetically by states Edit Please help expand this incomplete list Andhra Pradesh Amaravati Nagarjuna Konda Bihar Gaya Kesariya Nalanda Vaishali Pataliputta Vikramshila Haryana in the order of travel by Buddha Kamashpura Aastha Pugdal Pagoda Kumashpur place where Buddha delivered the Mahasatipatthana sutta 3 4 Kurukshetra Stupa Topra Srughna Sugh Stupa and Chaneti Stupa were all visited by the Buddha where he gave discourse after visiting Mathura he travelled along Grand Trunk Road in Haryana also see Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Haryana Madhya Pradesh Sanchi Uttar Pradesh Devadaha Kapilavastu Kosambi Mathura Pava Fazilnagar VaranasiChronologically by routes Edit In the order of places traveled by Buddha Please help expand this incomplete list Uttar Pradesh Haryana travel route of Buddha From Mathura in Uttar Pradesh Buddha travelled along Grand Trunk Road in Haryana also see Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Haryana Kamashpura Aastha Pugdal Pagoda Kumashpur in Sonipat city the place where Buddha delivered the Mahasatipatthana sutta 3 4 Kurukshetra Stupa on the banks of sacred Brahma Sarovar in Kurukshetra city Topra between Kurukshetra and Yamunanagar now has a large open air museum park housing several replica of Ashoka s edicts including largest Ashoka Chakra in the world Srughna now known as the Sugh Ancient Mound on outskirts of Yamunanagar city Chaneti Stupa on outskirts of Yamunanagar cityOther pilgrimage places by country EditOther famous places for Buddhist pilgrimage in various countries include Bhutan Punakha Dzong Chimi Lhakhang Temple Kyichu Lhakhang Kurje Lhakhang Gangtey Monastery Gomphu Kora Chagri Dorjeden Monastery Dzongdrakha Monastery Phajoding MonasteryCambodia Wat Botum Wat Ounalom Wat Botum Silver Pagoda Angkor Wat Angkor Thom China Yungang Grottoes Longmen Grottoes The Four Sacred Mountains namely Wǔtai Shan 五台山 Emei Shan 峨嵋山 Jiǔhua Shan 九华山 Pǔtuo Shan 普陀山 Potala Palace Mount Kailash Lake Manasarovar Lake Nam tso nbsp Elderly pilgrim Tsurphu Gompa Tibet 1993India Sanchi Nalanda Ellora Ajanta also see Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India Indonesia Borobudur Mendut Sewu Japan Kyoto Nara Shikoku Pilgrimage Kansai Kannon Pilgrimage Laos Luang Prabang Malaysia Kek Lok Si Buddhist Maha Vihara Brickfields Myanmar Shwedagon Pagoda Mahamuni Buddha Temple Kyaiktiyo Pagoda Bagan Sagaing Hill Mandalay Hill Mongolia Erdene Zuu Monastery Gandantegchinlen Monastery Zayiin Gegeen Monastery Gandantegchinlen Khiid Monastery Amarbayasgalant Khiid Shankh Monastery Nepal Maya Devi Temple Boudhanath Swayambhunath Kapilavastu Pakistan Taxila Swat Sri Lanka Anuradhapura the Atamasthana or eight places Mihintale Polonnaruwa the Temple of the Tooth Kandy Sri Pada the Solosmasthana Lewenth places North Korea Pohyonsa Anguksa Jangansa South Korea Bulguksa Three Jewel Temples Thailand Wat Phra Kaew Wat Pho Wat Doi Suthep Phra Pathom Chedi Sukhothai Ayutthaya United States of America City of Ten Thousand Buddhas Vietnam Dau Pagoda Hương Pagoda Mount Yen TuSee also EditBuddhist pilgrimage sites in India Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Nepal Shikoku Pilgrimage Eighty eight Temples pilgrimage in the Shikoku island Japan Japan 100 Kannon Pilgrimage pilgrimage circuit that is composed of three independent pilgrimages Saigoku Bandō and Chichibu consist of one hundred Temples Parikrama YatraNotes Edit The Buddha mentions these four pilgrimage sites in the Mahaparinibbana Sutta See for instance Thanissaro 1998 1 and Vajira amp Story 1998 2 See Chan for all a b Dhamma patthana dhamma org a b Aastha Pugdal Pagoda at Kumaspur Kamas Nigam in Sonepat SDBST References EditChan Khoon San Buddhist Pilgrimage e book the eight major Buddhist sites in India External links EditVirtual Tour of Buddhist Pilgrimage Sites on Google Map Interactive 360 View available on certain sites Buddhist Pilgrimage in India and Sri Lanka Buddhist Pilgrimage Asia Victoria and Albert Museum Retrieved 2011 04 03 Why do Buddhists go on Pilgrimage Buddhism for Beginners Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Buddhist pilgrimage sites amp oldid 1144208754, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
