Pilgrimage · India & Nepal
The full pilgrimage, extended to the Great Stupa of Sanchi
Journey overview
Our most complete pilgrimage. Fourteen days follow the full 12-day sacred circuit, with sil observance at both Jetavana and Buddhagaya, and then continue by train to Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh, home of the Great Stupa. Commissioned by Emperor Ashoka and enshrining relics of the chief disciples Sariputta and Moggallana, Sanchi is one of the oldest stone monuments in India and a UNESCO World Heritage Site rarely included in standard Dambadiva tours.
Day by day
Every day is thoughtfully paced, with time to experience each place—not simply pass through it.
Depart Colombo for Delhi and travel to Agra. In the evening, visit the magnificent Taj Mahal and the site associated with the preaching of the Sathara Sathipattana Sutta.
Worship at Sankissa, where the Buddha descended from the Tavatimsa heaven, then continue to the sacred city of Sravasti for the night.
Observe sil, take part in a Buddha pooja and almsgiving to the maha sangha, and offer ata pirikara. Worship at the Jetavana site, the Anandabodhi tree, the Angulimala Stupa and the mansion of Anathapindika, with a special dhamma sermon and Bodhi pooja in the evening.
Visit Kapilavastu and the Nigrodharama, cross the India–Nepal border, and worship at Lumbini, the birthplace of Prince Siddhartha.
Return across the border to Kusinara and worship at the Mahaparinirvana Stupa and the Ramabhar cremation stupa.
Worship at the Relic Stupa, Abhishek pond and Kutagarasala in Vaishali, then continue to Rajgir via the ruins of Nalanda University.
Worship at Griddhakuta, the Holy Eagle Peak, and visit the Bimbisara Jail and Saptaparni Cave. Continue to Buddhagaya via Senanigama and the Dungeshwari caves.
Arrive at the Maha Bodhi Temple in procession for a kiri ahara pooja and sil observance, followed by the Sathsathi vandana, the offering of ata pirikara, a dhamma sermon and a Bodhi pooja beside the sacred Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi.
Worship at Sarnath, where the Buddha delivered his first sermon. Visit the Anagarika Dharmapala Museum and the Sarnath Museum, and listen to the Dhammachakka Sutta at the New Mulagandhakuti Vihara in the evening.
Travel to Agra, with time for shopping. The city is famed for marble inlay work and leather goods.
Worship the sacred Kapilavastu relics at the National Museum in Delhi, see India Gate, Parliament and the President’s House, and enjoy shopping in the capital.
Board a morning train to Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh, with a visit to Bhopal, one of India’s greenest cities, before settling in near the sacred hill.
Worship the Buddhist monuments of Sanchi: stupas, temples and monasteries crowned by the Great Stupa, one of the oldest stone structures in India and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, enshrining relics of the arahants Sariputta and Moggallana. Return to Delhi by evening train.
Board the return flight to Colombo, carrying the blessings and memories of a complete pilgrimage.
Travel with ease
From a fellow traveller
Real words from people who have travelled this route with Manel Travels.
“This was my second Dambadiva pilgrimage but my first with this agency, and the difference was clear. Comfortable hotels, good food, and no rushing at the sacred places. The Sanchi extension was truly worth it.”
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