Buddhism in India began with the life of Siddhartha Gautama (ca. 563-483 B.C.), a prince from the small Shakya Kingdom located in the foothills of the Himalayas in Nepal. Brought up in luxury, the prince abandoned his home and wandered forth as a religious beggar, searching for the meaning of existence.

The stories of his search presuppose the Jain tradition, as Gautama was for a time a practitioner of intense austerity, at one point almost starving himself to death. He decided, however, that self-torture weakened his mind while failing to advance him to enlightenment and therefore turned to a milder style of renunciation and concentrated on advanced meditation techniques.

Eventually, under a tree in the forests of Gaya (in modern Bihar), he resolved to stir no farther until he had solved the mystery of existence.Breaking through the final barriers, he achieved the knowledge that he later expressed as the Four Noble Truths: all of life is suffering; the cause of suffering is desire; the end of desire leads to the end of suffering; and the means to end desire is a path of discipline and meditation. Gautama was now the Buddha, or the awakened one, and he spent the remainder of his life traveling about northeast India converting large numbers of disciples. At the age of eighty, the Buddha achieved his final passing away (parinirvana ) and died, leaving a thriving monastic order and a dedicated lay community to continue his work. By the third century B.C., the still-young religion based on the Buddha's teachings was being spread throughout South Asia through the agency of the Mauryan Empire (ca. 326-184 B.C.; see The Mauryan Empire, ch. 1). By the seventh century A.D., having spread throughout East Asia and Southeast Asia, Buddhism probably had the largest religious following in the world.

Buddhist Site In India

Sarnath

10 Kms from Varanasi, Sarnath is the ancient city where the Buddha preached his first sermon. The spot is today marked by the majestic Dhamek Stupa. The nearby Choukhandi Stupa is said to mark the place where the Buddha met his five disciples...... Request Brouchers

Rajgir

Tradition holds that it was at Rajgir that the Buddha set in motion his second Wheel of Law. And for three months, during the rains every year, preached his sermons at Gridhakuta of Vulture Peak. The site is today marked by the imposing Shanti Stupa (Peace Pagoda) built by the Buddha Sangha of Japan.....Request Brouchers

Nalanda

10 Kms from Rajgir, its sprawling excavations tell the story of a once flourishing Buddhist University & Monastery. Established in the fifth century B.C, it consisted of 300 apartments and eight monastic buildings. Some as many as 6 storeys high.....Request Brouchers

Bodhgaya

Nestling on the banks of river Phalgu, the holy city of Bodhgary is dominated by the elegant spire of the Mahabodhi Temple. At the rear of the temple is the cynosure of every Buddhist pilgrim, the Bodhi Tree- an offspring of the original tree where the Buddha attained enlightenment. The Animesh Lochana Temple marks the spot where the Buddha stood and gazed upon the Bodhi Tree in gratitude....Request Brouchers

Sanchi

The massive stupa at Sanchi with its intricately carved toranas is noted to be the most complete example of the early Buddhist stupa in its extant form. The gateways are an example of both architecture and sculpture. The Jataka stories about Buddha's earlier incarnations form the main subject matter in the sculpted architraves....Request Brouchers

Dharamsala

Upper Dharamsala or Mcleodganj is in Kangra district of Himanchal Pradesh. This hill station with its magnificent view of the Dhauladhar range of the Himalayas is the seat of his holiness, the XIVth Dalai Lama's temple , Namgyal monastery....Request Brouchers

Amravati

Amravati , the ancient Dhanyakataka , is about 38 kms from Vijayawada,and can also be reached via Guntur,35 kms away. An emissary of Emperor Ashoka, who went to propagate Buddhism in the region, laid the foundation of the great stupa at Amravati.....Request Brouchers

Leh

Situated at an altitude of 3500 metres, Leh is the headquarters of the Ladhak district and is surrounded by snow covered himalayas. The famous Buddhist Gompas (monasteries ) are perched in this mountainous region. Hemis, the largest of these Gompas , founded in the 17th Century, has an excellent library and is famous for housing the largest tangkha in India. Visitors flock here during the annual festival in the months of June -July.....Request Brouchers