India is the land of Buddhism and the entire subcontinent is dotted with important sites that hold special significance for its devotees. The religion teaches its followers to perform good and wholesome actions that can help in purifying and training the mind. Millions of people undertake a religious pilgrimage to pay tribute to Lord Buddha and come closer to their spiritual goals. This is because, in the Mahaparinirvana sutra, Buddha once told his followers that they can attain merit and a noble rebirth by going on a pilgrimage to important Buddhist pilgrimage sites such as Lumbini, Bodhgaya, Sarnath, and Kushinagar. For the longest time, there was no journey that the followers of Buddhism could undertake to visit all the places associated with the life and times of Lord Buddha. Keeping this in mind, The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) introduced a Buddhist Circuit Tourist Train that takes passengers on an 8 days/7 nights spiritual journey, a journey full of peace, tranquility, and comfort.
One of the places included on this special tourist train’s itinerary is Bodhgaya, the very place from where this religion began. Located in present-day Southwestern Bihar, Bodhgaya is an integral part of the Buddhist legacy. Its most famous landmark is undoubtedly the Mahabodhi Temple, an architectural marvel dating back to the Gupta period. Want to book your Bodhgaya Buddhist tour on IRCTC’s special tourist train? Follow these steps.
- To get started, open the official website here www.irctcbuddhisttrain.com.
- On the homepage, you’ll see a ‘Book Now’ button in the top right corner. Click on it and the ‘Book Your Ticket’ page will appear. To continue with your Bodhgaya Buddhist tour package booking, first select the boarding and deboarding stations, your tour date, class, and the total number of guests.
- If you want to check the fare once, click on the fare and to see the number of seats available for that particular journey, hit availability. Once you’re satisfied with the fare breakup, click on ‘Book Now’.
- In the next step, you can choose the currency you want to pay in, INR or US dollar. After selecting your preferred currency, log in to your pre-existing IRCTC account.
- New users can sign up by filling in all the relevant details. Once you log in, all passenger details will be retrieved from your account and you can review your final booking in the next step.
- If you’re satisfied with everything, go ahead with the payment, and package details will be shared with you over the mail. Simple, isn’t it?
With your Delhi to Bodhgaya tour package, you will get an opportunity to sit quietly on the banks of the Falgu river and pay your respects to Lord Buddha at the Mahabodhi Temple. The exact place where the Buddha meditated for days at a stretch and finally attained nirvana is still preserved to this day and getting a chance to feel the quietude in Bodhgaya is a life-altering experience. Other than the Buddha Temple, Bodhgaya also houses the Royal Bhutan Monastery which attracts tourists from far and wide. The Bodhi Tree is an unmissable site. Now that you know how to book your Bodhgaya Buddhist tour and everything this fascinating place has in store for you, why wait? Get your hands on the Buddhist pilgrimage tour package today!