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"To the Blessed One, the Lord who fully attained
perfect enlightenment, We render with offerings, our rightful homage"
It was during the sixth century BC, when a solitary, wandering ascetic,
sat to meditate beneath a shady tree, resolving not to rise until he had
attained the ultimate knowledge of spiritual enlightenment. Thus began
Buddhism, one of the world's great religions and pilgrimage traditions.
King Asoka, the third monarch of the Indian Mauryan dynasty had a great
influence on the growth of Buddhism in India. His life is a story of a
cruel and ruthless king who converted to Buddhism.
Temples store and display sacred Buddhist objects, and some of them used
to or still function as monasteries. Structures typically found at
Buddhist temples are:
Main hall: The sacred objects of worship, such as statues, are
displayed in the main hall.
Lecture hall: Lecture halls are for meetings and lectures and
often also display objects of worship.
Gates: Gates mark the entrance to the temple grounds. There is
usually one main gate, and possibly several additional gates, for example,
along the temple's main approach.
Bell: On New Year's eve, temple bells are rang 108 times,
corresponding to the Buddhist concept of 108 worldly desires.
There are many places which are associated with the Buddhist mysticism
for example. Bodhgaya, where Gautam Buddha attained "Enlightenment"
under the sacred Bodhi tree, Sarnath, Kushinagar. There are numerous
Buddhist Monastries in the states of Himachal Pradesh, Tripura , Ladakh.
It is said that Buddha traveled widely preaching his philosophy. At the
age of 80, in the forest of Kushinagar, he entered perfect tranquility-the
state of "Parinirvana"(death). Every year visitors from all
parts of the world come here to visit these places, where Gautam Buddha
preached peace, purity and love.
Some of the famous Buddhist Temples in India are:
Bodhi
Temple
This place is famous for the holy bodhi tree where Buddha attained
supreme enlightenment in the 6th century BC. This massive tree is
encircled by creepers and a grassy woodland surrounded by pure waters of
the Neranjara river. Once Buddha achieved enlightenment, he never looked
back, and never visited this place again. But he did recommend it as one
of the four memorable places worth visiting for inspiration. The 5
essential parts which display the essence of Buddhism can still be found,
they are the tree, throne, jewel walk, temple and stone railing. You can
easily spend weeks on touring this ancient place, reliving the golden
moments at your leisure, with delightful rest houses and monasteries,
spread across Bodhgaya. more...
Sanchi
Stupas
Sanchi, 68 kilometers north of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, has one of the
most well protected and uniquely designed Stupas. Apart from this, one can
also see and analyze the life cycle of Buddhist art and architecture
during a period of about 1500 years which almost covers the entire range
of Indian Buddhism. Built by king Ashoka, the most famous Buddhist rulers
of India. Ashoka built a total of eight Stupas on the hilltop of Sanchi
including the Great Stupas. more...
Mahabodhi
Temple 
Built
by emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BC, this temple has an exquisite
architect, the central attraction of this site being a huge Idol of Buddha
in the 'Bhumisparsa Mudra'. The temple is a fifty-meter tall pyramidal
tower, crowned with a bell like Stupa. The base is a fifteen-meter square
two-storey structure supporting four smaller towers identical to their
central counterpart. Inside the temple sits a large Idol of Buddha in the
'Bhumisparsa Mudra'. This image is said to be 1700 years old and is facing
east exactly at the place where the Buddha, sitting in meditation with his
back to the Bodhi tree, was enlightened. more...
Tabo Monastery
Founded more than a millennium back in 996 AD, Tabo Monastery is popularly
known as "Ajanta of the Himalayas". Located 46-km east of Kaza,
Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh, it holds nine temples, 23 chortens, a
monks' chamber and an extension that houses the nuns' chamber. The Temple
of the Enlightened Gods, also known as the Assembly Hall and forms the
core of the complex. The monastery temples house a priceless collection of
manuscripts and Buddhist scroll paintings, historical, exquisite statues
in stuccos, frescos and murals depicting tales from the Mahayana Buddhist
sect. The walls are decorated with fine paintings. more...
Ellora
Caves
Ellora caves lay in the lap of the Chamadari hills extending over a mile
and a quarter in the north-south direction and are situated 18 miles
northwest of Aurangabad. Ellora caves are finest specimens of cave temple
architecture. They house elaborate facades and exquisitely adorned
interiors. The themes are intensely religious in tone and Centre round
Buddha, Bodhisattvas, incidents from the life of Buddha. more...
Ajanta Caves
Situated 52 kms from Jalgaon Railway station, the caves consist of 30
Caves including the unfinished ones, of which five are chaitya-grihas and
the rest are viharas (monasteries). These are dated back from 200 BC to
250 AD and have two basic type of monastic. Buddhist architecture
preserved at Ajanta are the Chaitya or prayer hall and Viharas or
monastery These caves suggest a well defined form of architecture, broadly
resolving into two phases with a time gap of about 4 Centuries from each
other. more...
Karla
Caves
The Karla mountains, probably dating back to 160 BC, harbor the largest
cluster of Chaitya caves. Their sheer rock faces provide the appropriate
terrain for a rock climber to reach up to the white, fluffy clouds. Karla
caves are 2,000 years and it is a very easy trek where one can explore old
rock-cut Buddhist architecture. Early Buddhist rock-cut caves can be found
all over the Sahyadris. They served as monasteries and were built along
the region's ancient trade routes connecting important inland towns.
more...
Bhaja
Caves
Situated 12km from lonavla station, this is a high-water mark of Buddhist
architecture. The principal cave is the largest Chaitya among Buddhist
cave in the country, Being 15meters wide and 16 meters high. The most
remarkable feature of the cave is its arched roof supported by wooden
beams which have astonishingly survived the onslaught of elements for more
than 2,000 years. The Wooden Umbrella above the Chaitya is unique in the
Buddhist caves around the world. The whole system of lighting depends on
the enormous sun windows through which cleverly diffused light with its
light and shadows gives a great sense of solemnity more...
Kanheri
Caves
Buddhist caves at Kanheri are about 42-km away from Mumbai, situated on
Salsette Island amidst wooded hills and valleys. These caves are an
excellent work of architecture. According to the historians the caves were
caved between 200 BC and 600 AD. Few sculptures excavated in these caves
are amazing and beautiful. In these Buddhist caves or monasteries, which
are Spartan and bare, monks practiced their austerities around the second
century AD. The complex contains 109 caves cut by hand on the flank of a
hill; each fitted with a stone plinth that evidently served as a bed.
more...
Junnar Caves
Junnar, the birth place of the Maratha chieftain Chhatrapati Shivaji, is
177 kms from Mumbai on the Mumbai-Aurangabad route. The hills surrounding
the plains of Junnar are honeycombed with a cluster of Buddhist caves.
These caves are divided into three distinct groups, the Tulija Lena Group
which has a circular dome ceiling in the Chaitya Hall, the second group of
caves are located 1.5 kms south of the town, towards the Manmodi Hills and
the third group, Ganesh Lena Group is located 4 kms south of Junnar.
Hemis Gompa
45-km Southeast Of Leh, Ladakh Region, J&K, Hemis is the most famous
Gompa in Ladakh. Every year in mid-July hundreds of foreign visitors join
the huge crowds of locals, dressed up in their finest traditional garb,
that flock to watch the colorful two-day pageant. Hemis Gompa is the
largest and one of the most important in Ladakh quite apart from its
annual festival. It was founded about 350 years ago by Stagtshang Rinchen,
who was invited to Ladakh by king Singe (also spelt as Sengge) Namgyal.
more...