Day 01: Arrive Kathmandu and transfer to a Hotel
On arrival at Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport you will be received by GA staff and transfer you to a hotel, GA guide will brief of the Hotel, Kathmandu and about the program and related information that you might require while in Nepal, after refreshment and probably lunch depending upon the time of arrival.
Day 02: Tour of Pharping, Swaymbhunath, and Boudhanath
After breakfast, GA tour continues with a drive to Pharping, A circuit of its religious sites makes for a compelling day out from Kathmandu. Pharping lies on the road to Dakshinkali and it’s easy to visit both villages in a day by bus or bicycle. En route you’ll pass the pond at Taudaha, allegedly home to the nagas released from the Kathmandu lake. More Buddhist monasteries are opening up around here every year, some of which accept foreign dharma students.
After the tour to Pharping, we will head back to Kathmandu, have lunch, and resume the tour. The next sight is Swayambhunath, Swayambhunath is one of the definitive experiences of Kathmandu. Mobbed by monkeys and soaring above the city on a lofty hilltop, the ‘Monkey Temple’ is a fascinating, chaotic jumble of Buddhist and Hindu iconography.
And then, probably in the evening, we go to Boudhanath, there is nowhere quite like Bodhnath. Asia’s largest stupa pulses with life as thousands of pilgrims gather daily to make a kora (ritual circumnavigation) of the dome, beneath the watchful eyes of the Buddha, which gaze out from the gilded central tower.
Day 03: Tour of Kopan Monastery and Namobuddha
On the third day, We start our tour visiting Kopan Gumpa (Monastery), many people come here to study Buddhist psychology and philosophy. Spend some time, meditate if you like and we will head to Namo Budha which is 40 kms from the center of Kathmandu. It is a small village with an ancient stupa. It is known as the place where the Buddha, in a previous life as a prince, gave his body to a starving tigress and her cubs.
As per the flight in the afternoon time this scenic flight to South West of Nepal at Bhairawa airport, on arrival GA representative receive you drive for an hour to Lumbini. On reaching Lumbini check into the Hotel.
Day 04: Fly from Kathmandu to Bhairawa and transfer to Lumbini.
After landing at Bhairawa airport, you will be transferred to Lumbini. visit Lord Buddha’s birthplace and other historical sites, late afternoon. Lumbini is the traditional birthplace of Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, who was born in the 7th or 6th century BC.
According to Buddhist tradition, Maya Devi (or Mayadevi) gave birth to the Buddha on her way to her parent’s home in Devadaha in the month of May in the year 642 BC. Feeling the onset of labor pains, she grabbed hold of the branches of a shade tree and gave birth to Siddharta Gautama, the future Buddha. The Buddha is said to have announced, “This is my final rebirth” as he entered the world. Buddhist tradition also has it that he walked immediately after his birth and took seven steps, under each of which a lotus flower bloomed.
In 249 BC, the Buddhist convert Emperor Ashoka visited Lumbini and constructed four stupas and a stone pillar. Ashoka’s Pillar bears an inscription that translates as: “King Piyadasi (Ashoka), beloved of devas, in the 20 years of the coronation, himself made a royal visit, Buddha Sakyamuni having been born here, a stone railing was built and a stone pillar erected to the Bhagavan [“blessed one”] having been born here. Lumbini village was taxed reduced and entitled to the eight-part (only)”.
The site was rediscovered in 1895 when a German archaeologist came upon Ashoka’s Pillar, identified by its inscription. Records made by the Chinese pilgrim Fa Xian were also used in the process of identifying this religiously acclaimed site. Lumbini was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. Afer the tour of all historical places of Lumbini area, We will sit and meditate for an hour or so in Lumbini Garden.
Day 05: Visit Tilaurakot and Kudan.
We will leave early morning for Tilaurakot in Kapilvastu from Lumbini. About 29km west of Lumbini, Tilaurakot has been identified as the historical site of Kapilavastu, where Siddhartha Gautama spent the first 29 years of his life. The site sits in a peaceful meadow on the banks of the Ban-ganga River. Although you can still see the foundations of a large residential compound, it takes a certain amount of imagination to visualize the city of extravagant luxury that drove the Buddha to question the nature of existence. The showy shrine nearby with several carved pachyderms is dedicated to Maya Devi. After the tour of Tilaurakot, we will head to Kudan. Kudan is located some 4.5 km south of Tilaurakot, is a mound of structural ruins. A pond nearby appears to be the ruins of stupas and monasteries. These are believed to be the Kasaya stupa, where a Ksaya (yellow robe worn by monks) was presented to lord Buddha for the first time after he returned from cosmic enlightenment.
Day 06: Early morning drive to Bhairawa and fly back to Kathmandu
We will leave early morning for Ramgram and visit Ramgram Stupa which was constructed some 2500 years ago. Gautama Buddha’s parents were from two different mahājanapadās (kingdoms) of the Solar dynasty — his father (Śuddhodana) belonged to the Shakya kingdom, while his mother (Maya) was from the Koliya kingdom. According to Buddhist texts, after Buddha’s Mahaparinirvana, his cremated remains were divided and distributed among the princes of eight of the sixteen mahājanapadās. Each of the princes constructed a stupa at or near his capital city, within which the respective portion of the ashes was enshrined. Some 300 years later, Emperor Ashoka opened seven of these stupas and removed the Buddha relics (his goal was to redistribute the relics into 84,000 stupas which he planned to construct throughout the Maurya Empire). According to legend, the serpent king was guarding the Ramagrama stupa and prevented Ashoka from unearthing the relic. To this day, Ramagrama stupa remains the only intact and original stupa containing relics of Lord Buddha. The stupa has been an object of great reverence and pilgrimage site since its original construction. The 7-meter-high (23 ft) stupa is now buried under a mound of earth and is awaiting further research. After the long and careful tour of Ramgram, we will stop for a lunch and head to Bhairawa airport and fly back to Kathmandu. After that you will be transferred to a hotel in Kathmandu.
Day 07: Final Departure to next destination
As per the flight time, The Great Adventure Treks & Expeditions staff transfers you to the airport for the flight home after an enjoyable good time in this beautiful country Nepal with The Great Adventure Treks & Expeditions.
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Buddhist Pilgrimage Tour
