tripplanner001

India. The name conjures so many images and thoughts - good, bad, and ugly. Hindu gods and goddesses, the River Ganges, the Taj Mahal, Rajasthani palaces, its many languages and diverse cuisine, the vibrant colors of Holi, abject poverty, the backwaters of Kerala, the world's largest democracy...

For the longest time, we've been drawn to India, first and foremost, as the spiritual homeland of Buddhism, our native religion. We're also fascinated by its rich cultures and traditions, and drawn to its exquisite architecture. Even so, we've been apprehensive about the South Asian country. Concerns about the chaos of the place, poor sanitation, and aggressive hassling - whether real or imagined - has kept us away. Until now.

It was late last year when we decided we were going to bite the India bullet. It was now or never, as we were not getting any younger. Will we finally pay our respects to Buddha at the Mahabodhi Temple and walk in his footsteps? Will we see the Taj Mahal for ourselves rather than continue to rely on photographs and videos? Will we enter the many palaces that we've been intrigued about? China aside, India is the big black hole on our travel map. And besides, if we've survived the hassles of Egypt and Morocco, we should do fine in India. Right? Fingers and toes crossed, we hope so.

This pilgrimage of sorts to India is anchored by a visit to the state of Bihar in the country's east. BIhar is home to the city of Bodhgaya and the Mahabodhi Temple, where Buddha attained enlightenment. It's also home to the holy cities of Nalanda and Rajgir.

While Bihar is a must, it is also out of the way from the other places that pique our interests, which are mostly in the north and west as well as the south. As this is our first trip and perhaps our only visit to India, we could not imagine missing out on the Taj Mahal or the palaces of Rajasthan. Mysuru, Thanjavur, Madurai - these just have to wait. Even Gwalior, Orchha, Bundi, and Patna, we had to eventually drop from our itinerary.

Our final itinerary was informed by our interests as well as what was logistically logical, as we didn't want to spend countless hours getting from point A to point B and overnight trains were out of the question. So for our three weeks, we settled on a trip of the north, beginning in Delhi and ending in Mumbai, given the availability of international flights. From Delhi, we will fly to Bodhgaya and then travel by train to Varanasi, a city as old as time. After Varanasi, we will fly back to Delhi, from where we will travel to Agra, Jaipur, and Udaipur, before finishing our journey in Mumbai.

Namaste. Come join us.

shelemm

This is super exciting and mysterious. It will be fascinating to see where you wind up. Good to know you go with your eyes wide open.

ms_go

Here for the journey, and looking forward to more! This is very timely, as we are starting to plan for a somewhat similar trip. I'm especially interested in the timing of your trip, as we're debating that now -- late 2025 or wait until early in 2026 (February or so).

patandhank

I think you will thoroughly enjoy it! I just returned from spending 3 weeks in India and rate the trip as one of my top trips.

Looking forward to traveling along with you!!

progol

tripplanner,
I can’t wait to follow you! We absolutely loved our trips to India, particularly to Rajasthan and the other cities you mention. Varanasi is one of the most intense places we’ve ever visited but it’s an incredible place to experience. It’s hard for me to believe it’s been 11 years since it’s still so vivid in my mind.

I wish you a great trip and look forward to following you!

tripplanner001

To all my friends here on Fodor's, it's good to see you as I've been preoccupied with work over the past several months and have not had much of a chance to come say hello.

shelemm, keeping an open mind for sure. My closest basis for comparison is Sri Lanka, which some have referred to as India-lite.

ms_go, temperatures are pleasant, with a high of 80 and a low of 68 with moderate humidity. Temperatures are expected to be stable and consistent for the duration of our trip. While we would have preferred no smog, and from what others have told us, it's the worst it's been all year, it didn't set us back today.

patandhank, that's awesome. Where in India did you go?

progol, how are you and M doing? Are you in Asia now too?

First Impressions of India

We travelled to Delhi via London on British Airways, leaving on Friday evening U.S. East Coast time and arriving in the Indian capital at 1:00 AM on Sunday. The journey was uneventful but familiar, as the late-evening flight from DC to Heathrow has become our go-to onur trips heading east.

Indira Gandhi International in Delhi is modern, clean, and efficient. It took about 15 to 20 minutes for us to get from the gate to the parking garage where our hotel driver was waiting us. The airport staff were polite and welcoming. Entry was straightforward as we secured our e-visas in advance. Score one for India.

Walking outside of the airport, we were greeted by the infamous haze that has engulfed Delhi for days. Visibility was low and the air smelled of smoke and burning wood. We followed weather reports for the past couple of weeks and were aware of the intense pollution that is gripping the capital and its surrounding region. On a couple of days before our arrival, the Air Quality Level reached 500 and 600 when less than 100 is considered normal. We had some concerns about the pollution before coming to Delhi, but arrived pleasantly surprised that we weren't too bothered by it. The smoke was no worse than what we experienced in the northeastern United States last summer when we were impacted by wildfires from Canada.

The streets of Delhi are wide, well-paved, clean, and flanked by trees and other greenscapes on both sides. The ride to our hotel was smooth but punctuated by episodes of fast and furious Indian driving that we've only read about.

Our hotel, The Imperial, is located on the Janpath in the heart of New Delhi, near Connaught Place and the city's government district. The hotel is a classic icon, stately and elegant. A modern palace would be an appropriate descriptor. Definitely a very fine oasis to call home over the next few days. Perhaps India won't be so bad after all.

Imperial Delhi

We spent our first day in the Indian capital exploring the area known as New Delhi. Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens to serve as the new capital of British India in the early 20th century, New Delhi features wide boulevards, neat manicured lawns, and stately monuments and memorials. Luytens' New Delhi had similarities to other planned capital cities around the world such as Washington, DC, and Canberra, although we could just as well been in Buckingham in London or Haussmann's Paris too.

From The Imperial, we strolled down the Janpath to the central horizontal axis of Kartavya Path. At the intersection, we were greeted with a faint outline of the India Gate in the distance through the intense smog and walked towards it. The red sandstone gate erected to commemorate Indian and British soldiers resembled the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. We also visited the nearby National War Memorial with its eternal flame. Both were set in gardens with plenty of trees and grassy spaces.

From the India Gate, we returned east along Kartavya Path with its canals on both sides. People, mostly Indians, were out and about, strolling along the pathways, sitting on the lawn, and enjoying themselves. Monkeys were also about, playing among themselves; several of them carried young.

We then spent a couple of hours at the National Museum, enjoying artifacts from Harappa and Mohenjo Daro but especially admiring the myriad Buddhist iconography. There are also exhibits on miniature paintings, Persian-style, tribal cultures, coinage, jewelry, and musical instruments. Behind the National Museum is a good collection of Buddhist art as well. Definitely worth some time while in New Delhi.

Returning to Kartavya Path, we walked towards the President's Office. There was heavy security presence here as well as around the National Parliament. While we were able to be much closer to Parliament, the security perimeter for the President's Office made it impossible.

We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around temples of worship not to far from these two centers of political power. We visited two Catholic cathedrals, two Sikh temples, one Buddhist temples, and two Hindu temples, all within close proximity to one another. Our two favorites were Gundwara Bangla Sahib, with its carnival-like atmosphere filled with Sikh worshippers young and old, and Lakshmi Narayan Temple, a magnificent architectural ode to Hindudom filled with statues of various gods and goddresses such as Shiva and Ganesh.

As day faded to night, we walked over Connaught Place for some coffee and shopping. Just off Connaught Place was Janpath Market, with its cheap goods for sale similar to what we would see all over Southeast Asia.

Dinner tonight was a variety of very tasty Indian and Southeast Asian dishes at Spice Route, one of the city's finest restaurants and also happens to be located within our hotel.

We intentionally close New Delhi for our first day in India, knowing that the well-planned, well-kept, and easy-to-navigate capital district would help ease us into the country - and we were glad we did. In spite of some of the hassles that preyed on us at various times of day (think those pesky tuk-tuk drivers with the all-too-familiar such-and-such place is closed today), the visit was rather pleasant. So far, India is exceeding our expectations.


India Gate on the horizon

India Gate up close

National War Memorial

Statue of Indian political and military figure Subhas Chandra Bose

Monkeys at play

Hindu iconography at the entrance of the National Museum

Hindu iconography

President's Office in the distance with Secretariat buildings in the foreground

Cathedral Church of the Redemption

Gurudwara Bangla Sahib

Lakshmi Narayan Temple

Shopping Arcade at Connaught Place

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Mughal Delhi

Much of northern India was ruled by the Mughals, who came to the subcontinent from Persia, from the 16th to the 19th centuries. The most visible part of its legacy in India, at least to us visitors, is the Persian-inspired architectural marvels that dot the Indian landscape today, the most famous of which being the Taj Mahal. Mughal architecture can be found throughout Delhi. Our itinerary today is focused on Mughal monuments.

We began our second day with a visit to Qutub Minar, a religious complex that predates the Mughal Empire but influenced Mughal designs later on. Qutub Minar is located on the far south side of Delhi, which we accessed by a combination of the city's Metro system (more on this later) and on foot. Qutub Minar is the name of the tallest brick minaret in Delhi, constructed in the 12th century. The minaret is richly decorated with Arabic calligraphy and other geographic ornamentations. On the site are the remains of a large mosque and several tombs of important religious and political figures at the time. The tombs, with its large domes, octagonal shape, windows, and calligraphy and geometric ornamentations, very much resemble what we saw in Egypt and in Uzbekistan. We very much enjoyed wandering among the complex.

From there we walked over to nearby Mehrauli Archaeological Park, home to several monuments and ruins from the same time period. The site is relatively new, only restored and opened to the public in recent years. While the ruins at Mehrauli Archaeological Park were not as impressive as the Qutub complex, it was a joy to visit. Much of what is archaeological significant sits in the middle of a forest-like part and there is a lot that continues to be excavated. Pretending we were archaeologists, we wandered among the key sites, which consisted of the Jamali Kamali Mosque near the entrance, a couple of ruins that were converted to a guesthouse and a boathouse by a British officer Thomas Metcalfe, tombs that resemble those at Qutub, a gorgeous well, and the remains of a horse stable.

We then returned to the nearby metro station, and continued onto Haus Khas and Dili Haat, for some shopping and refreshments. We searched for what we thought was the Haus Khas Market, but could not find anything more than a few fruit vendors on one of the streets and gave up. Dili Haat is set up by the Delhi Tourism office for souvenir vendors to sell the usual tourist wares; we didn't find anything worth purchasing, but still enjoyed doing some browsing.

We spent a good part of the afternoon at Huyamun's Tomb, the final resting place of a Mughal ruler, Huyamun, as well as countless others. Huyamun's Tomb was humming with visitors when we were there roughly between 2:30 and 4:30, mostly Indians but we saw more Westerners here than anywhere else so far. A precursor to the Taj Mahal, Huyamun's Tomb is a showcase of Islamic architecture with its geometric shapes and symmetrical building design. The main building is set on a large platform and surrounded by what was once an elaborate web of canals giving life to the gardens on which the tomb is set. While busy and crowded on the main approach to the tomb and inside, it was easy to get lost and enjoy the views in the vast site away from the crowds.

From there we went over to Lodi Gardens, also home to several monuments from the Mughal era and a popular spot for locals. The largest of these monuments is the Bara Gumbad and the Shisha Gumbad, which house a mosque, tombs, and perhaps other uses. The setting is very beautiful, especially as day turned to night - a wonderful way to end a very busy day.

We enjoyed dinner at Indian Accent, a fine restaurant inside The Lodhi.

Transportation: We used a combination of the city's extensive Metro system, Uber, and our own two feet for today's sojourns. The Metro system is fairly straightforward and easy to use, as there are usually one or two lines at each station and the direction of the trains is well marked. Initially, it took us a moment to figure out which platforms to go to when transferring trains, but from that point forward, it was smooth sailing. The trains were crowded at times, but no more so than in NYC or in DC; people were polite and there wasn't any pushing or shoving that we witnessed. The stations are spacious, clean, and well staffed, although we didn't love that we needed to be patted down each time we entered and exited a station. The train sets itself resemble train sets we've ridden on all over the world. Fares could be purchased at machines or at an agent booth, and cash and credit cards were both accepted. Our rides ranged from 20 to 40 rupees.

Air Quality: The air quality was noticeably worse today than it was yesterday. The fog was more dense, which meant the particles in the air were sitting for longer. We noticed it from the smell, especially early in the morning.


Qutub Minar

Iron Pillar and Ruins of Mosque, Qutub Minar

Boathouse, Mehrauli Archaeological Park

Tomb, Mehrauli Archaeological Park

Well, Mehrauli Archaeological Park

Humayun's Tomb

Humayun's Tomb

Isa Khan's Tomb

Bara Gumbad, Lodi Gardens

patandhank

LOL you describe all the places with great details! I’ll have to use your report when doing my pictures!!

ms_go

You've managed a lot already! I'm taking notes. Trying to rough out an itinerary is already pretty daunting, and I'm sure I'll only keep adding to the wish list. The haze does seem pretty noticeable. We've seen mention of it this time of year due to burning of fields and are trying to balance that with winter fog, temperatures, etc. We're kind of leaning toward late January/early February (2026) but have not decided on anything at this point.

Enjoy -- and looking forward to much more!

tripplanner001

patandhank, thank you. It's kind of you.

ms_go, if you have questions as you plan, I'm glad to do my best to help answer.

Old Delhi

Today marks our third full day in Delhi. We began our day at the Red Fort, the center of political power for the Mughal Empire after its capital was relocated from Agra to Delhi. This was also where Indian independence from Great Britain was proclaimed in 1947.

We began our visit at Lahore Gate, the massive fortress-like red-ochre entrance screamed "Look at me. I'm big and powerful. Don't mess with me." From there we passed through a covered bazaar lined with silk and jewelry vendors in its heyday and your typical souvenir shops today. On the other side of the covered bazaar is a wide grassy expanse with various structures. Directly ahead is the Elephant Gate followed by the Hall of Public Audiences, a photogenic hall with rows upon rows of scallopped archways and columns with a marble throne where the Mughal emperor received the public sat. Toward the far east of the fort are the private reception and residence, built out of pure white marble with design and ornamentation similar to what appears at the Taj Mahal. This makes sense as much of it was built under the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, who also built the temple to love in Agra. We also saw multiple other pavilions, although all from the outside. We spent a couple of relaxing hours touring the sites and strolling the pleasant grounds. The air quality was noticeably better today and we went early enough (9:00) that there were few people around.

Across the street is Chandni Chowk, the main thoroughfare in Old Delhi. Along the road are a Jain temple, a Sikh temple, and at least two mosques - religious coexistence at its finest. Along the streets are a hodgepodge of buildings, some classical, most local structures in varying states of decay. The streets are lined with shops of various sorts, mostly selling everyday good. The pedestrianized way is filled with cycle-rickshaws plowing up and down, shutting tourists around the neighborhood. To our surprise, while closer to the images we had in our minds of urban India, Chandni Chowk seemed tamed and somewhat Disneyified.

From Chandni Chowk, we wanted into some of myriad lanes and alleyways off to the sides. We wanted down streets selling spices, nuts, saris, Hindu religious offerings, and much more. The narrow passageways were filled with people going about their daily lives. Laborers carried large sacks of goods along the ways, transporting good among the various establishments. Rickshaws and motorbikes weaved its way among the people, incessantly honking its horns. This is India! We finally stumbled upon what we've pictured India to be in our minds. And boy did we love it. There's so much energy to it all.

After a couple of hours immersing ourselves in the hustle and bustle of it all, we made our way out of the maze of lanes and alleyways, coming up on the Friday Mosque. A magnificent structure, the Friday Mosque is topped by three huge onion domes and flanked by two minarets. We toured the house of worship and climbed one of the minarets for a close-up of the mosques and the surrounding streets and alleys of Old Delhi. Even in the haze we were able to make our the Red Fort in the distance.

From the Mosque we walked to the Metro and headed to the National Gandhi Museum, spending a good hour with the exhibits to India's most famous modern-day hero. We very much enjoyed the well-laid out exhibits detailing the life and work of Mahatma Gandhi, including some of the key moments that we were less familiar about. While we've always been admirers of Gandhi, his political economic philosophy resonated with me even more given politics back home in the United States. After an hour at the museum, we walked over to Raj Ghat, a memorial to Gandhi at the site where he was cremated following his assassination.

Dinner tonight was at Shang Palace inside the Shangri-la Hotel. We feasted on Cantonese dim sum as well as several of our favorite Chinese dishes, followed by a nightcap back at our hotel nearby.


Lahore Gate, Red Fort

Covered Bazaar, Red Fort

Hall of Public Audiences, Red Fort

Royal Residence, Red Fort

Jain Temple and Bird Hospital on Chandni Chowk

Chandni Chowk Street Scene





Friday Mosque

Minaret, Friday Mosque

Domes Up Close, Friday Mosque

Gandhi Memorial, Raj Ghat

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Lotus Temple

We spent our final morning in Delhi with a visit to the Lotus Temple. Home of the Baha'i faith, the Lotus Temple is an architectural beauty. The temple is shaped like a lotus flower about to bloom. The exterior is covered in tiles in different shades of white, almost identical to the Sydney Opera House. The spherical shapes reminded us of the Australian icon. We enjoyed visiting the temple and visiting its interpretation center that tells the story of the founder of the Baha'i faith and the religion's tenets, which is the underlying faiths of the world are grounded in like principles and should be celebrated for such.

In addition to the Lotus Temple, we paid a visit to the Central Cottage Industries Emporium for some souvenir shopping. The Emporium is a good one-stop shop of arts, crafts, clothing, furniture, and more, set up by the government and offering higher, quality goods at fixed prices. We made our first souvenir purchases of trip at the Emporium, adding to our collection.

From there, it was time to leave Delhi. Our time in the Indian capital flew by, and we were reluctant to leave a city that captured our imaginations and exceeded the best of our expectations. Delhi was a fitting introduction to India and put our minds somewhat at ease for the remainder of our journey.

Speaking of easing our minds, one of our primary considerations was sanitation. What we found in Delhi was a city full of people willing and eager to take care of the city that they call home. Throughout our time, we saw countless workers cleaning and timing up public spaces, from restrooms to sidewalks. Even spaces that we would expect to have questionable hygiene at home are well taken care of in India. While it may not seem remarkable, it speaks to the regard of the Indian people given the size of its population. In this aspect, we are truly in incredible India.

The Land of Enlightenment

From Delhi, we travelled by plane to Gaya, in the State of Bihar in the eastern part of the country. Gaya lies next to Bodhgaya, the village from where the Lord Buddha attained enlightenment. The flight from Delhi to Gaya took about 75 minutes, and from there it was 20 minutes by car to Bodhgaya. We checked into our home in Bodhgaya, the Hyatt House, and immediately went to the Mahabodhi Temple for an evening visit and prayers.

The Mahabodhi Temple is magnificent, a site to behold. The temple teemed with people - visitors, pilgrims, monks, and other worshippers. Chants of Buddhist prayer echoed within the temple and all around it - creating a carnival of sorts. The one downside - we were assaulted by a number of hasslers at and around the temple and how aggressive they were, not taking us ignoring them and responding with the occasional "no" for an answer. This is among the worst we've experienced anywhere, both within and outside of India. We couldn't believe that something like this would be allowed and tolerated at such holy grounds. Nonetheless, we did our best to tune them out and focus on the reason we were there in the first place, which was to join other visitors in prayer. Thus begins our religious pilgrimage of sorts. In spite of it all, we remain so fortunate to be able to be here. We're as close to our teacher and guide than we can ever be in this lifetime.

shelemm

So glad to know you were able to ease yourself into India. That is a major concern. Sounds like the perfect introduction. And that market looks so bustling and active. You are off to a great start.

tripplanner001

shelemm, thank you. India's treating us quite well so far.

I posted one more installment, but it seems stuck in moderation. I will wait until that post appears before posting the next installment to avoid confusion on sequencing.

patandhank

One thing I learned was don’t even respond with a no or no thank you if you don’t want to be bothered. In fact don’t acknowledge them at all and keep walking. I know it’s not what you’re used to, but it does work.

I really enjoyed Chandni Chowk also. It was a lot of fun taking a rickshaw through was a great way to people watch.

tripplanner001

patandhank, yes, that's a good tip. Most times it works, but a few times it doesn't, as the following and speaking next to you as you walk is just as annoying. So far not in India, but there's been a couple of times we've been turned around because of it.

In the Footsteps of the Buddha

What a glorious day to wake up in the same village where the Buddha spent a significant part of his life on the path to and eventually attaining enlightenment. We began our day at the holy of holies - the Mahabodhi Temple. We spent about two hours at the temple, praying, listening to different groups of monks chanting in their native languages, people watching, and just being in the spiritual presence of the Buddha. We visited several of the significant places in the life of the Buddha contained within the Mahabodhi complex, and enjoyed the reliefs that told his life and legacy that surround the walls of the temple.

The hasslers seem much tamer this morning compared to yesterday evening. There were fewer of them around and the ones that were sprinkled about the complex were much less persistent. The temple was humming with visitors, worshippers, and pilgrims alike, but at a fraction of the volume we experienced yesterday.

For Fodorites who may be planning a visit, it is important to know that cell phones or electronics of most types are not allowed into the temple complex. There is a free locker service just outside of the temple for phones and such. The attendant takes your electronics, have you register your name in a book along with the number of items you're leaving behind, and the time you are doing so. You then receive the locker key with the number of the locker that you take with you. Cameras are allowed but require paid tickets for each device - 100 rupees for photo cameras and 300 rupees for handheld video cameras. The security staff is strict about all of this, as we saw both yesterday and today.

From there we walked around the village, visiting the many Buddhist temples scattered within the vicinity of the Mahabodhi Temple. We prayed at a couple of Tibetan monasteries, a Vietnamese temple, a Chinese temple, a Bangladeshi monastery, a Thai temple, as well as ones styled from Burma, Bhutan, Japan, and Mongolia. It's an United Nations of sorts, with every country in the Buddhist world represented by a temple modeled after the home country's temples but in Bodhgaya. Our favorites were the Tibetan monasteries with its massive Buddha statues and paintings depicting stories of the life of Buddha, beautiful mandalas, and fine ornamental details. The Thai temple was a highlight too as well as the Bhutanese house of worship. We spent about five hours temple-hopping.

We also visited the Archaeological Museum on the main street. The small but worthwhile museum houses a good collection of Buddhist statues and other relics, including originals from Mahabodhi Temple.

Besides sightseeing, we walked around the countryside a bit, enjoying scenes of the simple, rural life of the people in Bihar. Imagine rice fields, roaming animals (cow, goat, and chicken), and children playing outside their ramshackle homes.

In addition to breakfast at our hotel, we ate lunch at Thai Spice, near the Thai temple. Dinner was at Siam Thai, on the main thoroughfare. We opted for simple dishes at both, given that we're still easing our way to food outside of high-end hotels.


Mahabodhi Temple

Buddha's Footprint, Mahabodhi Temple

Buddha Statues, Mahabodhi Temple

Circumnavigating the Temple

Offerings at the Bodhi Tree

On the Wall on the Mahabodhi

Buddhist Teaching

Buddha Shaded by Naga

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Photos from Our Temple-Hopping


Buddha, Vietnamese Monastery

Painting, one of the Tibetan Monasteries

Lady Guanyin, Chinese Temple

Entrance Gate, Bangladeshi Temple

Seated Buddha, Bangladeshi Temple

Buddha Statue, Thai Temple

Roof, Bhutanese Temple

Wall Art, Bhutanese Temple

Ceiling Painting (Buddhist Wheel), Karma Temple

Large Seated Buddha Statue (80 feet)

Prayer Hall, one of the Tibetan Monasteries

shelemm

Tibetan... Bhutanese... Bengali... that's quite the array coming together all in one spot.

I've heard of Bihari Kebabs (I had some in Queens), but this is the first time for me seeing a Fodorite's photos. Delightful.

tripplanner001

shelemm, indeed. What we found is that Bihar is relatively untouristed except for Indian travelers and folks from Southeast Asia, predominately Vietnam and Thailand.

On the Pilgrimage Trail

Today we ventured out of Bodhgaya to visit the ancient towns of Nalanda and Rajgir, important places on the religious pilgrimage circuit for Buddhists. The journey by car (arranged by our hotel) from Bodhgaya to Rajgir took about 90 minutes on a two-lane road. Some parts of the road were busy, especially near towns and villages, while other stretches were relatively quiet. In any case, the road was shared with tuk-tuks, pickup trucks, cows, and the like, which meant movement was slow-going. What was worst was the incessant honking, which made for a somewhat unpleasant ride.

Rajgir was formerly known as Rajagriha, translated as City of Kings. This was because Rajgir served as the political capital of several Indian empires. This was also the city where the Buddha among several religious figures lived and preached. For us Buddhists, Rajgir is significant as it was where the Buddha gave us several of his scriptures, including the Lotus Sutra that those like us who follow the Mahayana sect hold near and dear.

We visited Vishwa Shanti Stupa Peace Pagoda, built by Japanese following the atomic bomb attacks of the Second World War to promote peace. We prayed at the stupa, listened to the chanting by a group of monks, and walked about the site. While we could have enjoyed some of the hiking trails that could be reached from the temple, it was too hazy for it to be worthwhile. Besides, we were short on time. So we ascended and descended by cable car; the entrance was not easy to find as there was no signage and being surrounded by hasslers did not help.

We then visited the nearby Son Bhandar Caves, two caves from a couple of millennia ago that contains reliefs of Jain deities. There's not much left so this was a quick stop.

From there we visited the Venu Van, translated as bamboo garden. This was once one of the Buddha's favorite meditation spot. While the park-like setting remains, Venu Van has been converted to a botanical garden. We spent about an hour strolling the grounds, contemplating how we may be treading on the same grounds that our Buddha tread more than 2,500 years ago.

We then moved on to Nalanda University, founded by a follower of Buddha's teachings in the 5th century. The university waa considered one of the epicenters of scholarship throughout the Buddhist world. The university functioned until thr 13th century, when the university went into permanent decline. On the grounds today are massive brick ruins of the former temples and monasteries that sit on its grounds. At temple number 3, one can clearly see some of the art left over from centuries ago - images of the Buddha and bodhissattvas still adorn some of the buildings exteriors. Most of it, though, is unfortunately gone.

From Nalanda we were driven back to Bodhgaya, in what was a long and fairly uncomfortable two-and-a-half hour ride. Who knew traffic jams are a thing in rural Bihar?

Did we obtain enlightenment? No. Perhaps it's the hasslers. Probably not. But we do consider our spiritual lives richer for having visited this sacred corner of the world. Our journey across India continues to Varanasi.


Vishwa Shanti Stupa

Buddha Statue, Vishwa Shanti Stupa

Jain Relief, Son Bhandar

Buddha Statue, Venu Van

Buddha Statue, Venu Van

Nalanda University Ruins

Nalanda University Ruins

Nalanda University Ruins

patandhank

Varanasi - another highlight I enjoyed. Looking forward to your thoughts on what you see while there.

tripplanner001

This morning we traveled to Gaya to catch our train for Varanasi. The train station was pure chaos. There were no signage anywhere. We had to ask several people to learn that we could travel with e-confirmation. We asked several people before we could obtain information on which track our train was leaving from. Once on board, we had to rely on fellow passengers to find our seats as there was assigned seating on the train but we were never provided with seat number. The chaos carried on throughout the ride - with passengers moving about the car and switching seats, folks standing up at various point, loud chatter... The journey from Gaya to Varanasi took three hours.

Once we arrived at the train station, we were transport by car to Namo Ghat for a cruise along the River Ganges to our hotel. The 20-minute ride was an excellent introduction to Varanasi.

We took the afternoon slowly, relaxing at our hotel the Brijrama Palace. We enjoyed high tea followed by a visit to Assi Ghat for the evening aarti ceremony.