Of all the places in the world, Asia is one place I always wanted to visit for the ethnic and cultural feast it offers. Boarding a flight to Asia would probably be like a pilgrimage for me, as I long wanted to visit this treasure house of Buddhist sites.
I would have to probably take a cheap airline ticket to India, Nepal or Thailand where relics of Buddha abound. Several airlines like United Airlines, British Airways, Air France, Delta airlines, Cathay Pacific offer the best airline deals to any of these destinations.
A trip to Asia will satisfy my craving for both the exotic and the spiritual needs. I was lucky enough to find cheap airline tickets, due to which my return flights from my home town (San Jose) costed around $1500. I started out with India first and moved to adjoining Nepal and then to Thailand and so on.
Asia is the birthplace of the Buddha. Buddha was born at Lumbini on the Indo-Nepal border. Bodhgaya in Bihar, India was the seat of his enlightenment and is venerated as the Mahabodhi temple. I would sure love to have a glimpse of the Bodhi tree under which he gained this spiritual peace.
The state of Uttar Pradesh has many Buddhist sites. Sarnath is the place where Buddha preached his first gospel. Kushavati or Kushinagar is where he breathed his last.
My itinerary also included taking snapshots of the “Stupas” at Sanchi. These hemispherical structures built by the emperor Ashoka were meant to preserve Buddhist relics and are an architectural marvel.
Nepal and its Buddhist Sites:
I first headed to Patan located to the south of Kathmandu. This city is teeming with Buddhist temples- nearly 18 of them. The Ashoka Stupas are also located here which is a must-see for me. The five-storied Nyatapole temple at Bhakthapur near Patan was where the movie “Little Buddha” was filmed.
The largest Stupa in Nepal is at Bodhnath. The Swayambunath Temple located on top of a hill overlooking the Kathmandu valley offers a breathtaking view and is a sight to behold.
Thailand and its temple of the Reclining Buddha:
Thailand, also called the land of the white Elephant is known for its nearly 40,000 Buddhist places of worship. The temple of the Reclining Buddha is universally acclaimed. I stood transfixed looking at its gold plated dome. The white temple at Chiang Rai in Northern Thailand has exquisite murals depicting the life of Lord Buddha.
A resplendent Golden Buddha greeted me at Wat Trsimit in Chinatown. I also visited the Marble Temple or Wat Benchamabopit in Dusit area.
The Temple of the Tooth in Sri Lanka:
With it’s predominantly Buddhist populace, Sri Lanka boast of a number of Buddhist temples, monasteries or viharas. I visited Dalda Maligawa-the Temple of the tooth where Buddha’s tooth is preserved and also the venerated Muthiyangana preserving his jaw bone. The gigantic Buddha statue at Buduruwagala still bears testimony to the respect for Buddha. One of the 2 enormous Buddha figures at Maligawila n Dambegoda is the world’s largest Buddhist icon.
Apart from these, I also plan to undertake a second tour on Buddhist temples in Bangladesh, China, Japan and Korea to find inner peace.
