In the first week of December, the Bihar government’s Department of Tourism will launch a new scheme to popularize and generate awareness of the state’s Buddhist monuments. Called “walking tourism,” the pilgrimage will start in Bodh Gaya and take in other “Buddha’s footprints” circuit sites in the state. It is expected that both monks and tourists will participate.
Mahabodhi Temple, Bodh Gaya. From www.holidayiq
Evidence suggests that Lord Buddha visited Rampurva, Lauriya Nandangarh, Areraj, Kesariya, Vaishali, and Hajipur en route to Bodh Gaya. Being associated with the Buddha’s life, these important monuments are today protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), and are visited by thousands of tourists and pilgrims from around the world each year.
To promote the sites, Bihar’s tourism minister Jawaid Iqbal Ansari has made an appeal to tour operators and travel agencies across the world to prepare an itinerary for tourists and pilgrims to visit the places on Bihar’s Buddhist trail. “All the sites associated with Lord Buddha pilgrimage tour would be developed to attract Buddhist pilgrims,” he said. “It would be major attraction for all the Buddhists across the world.”
Vaishali stupa and pilgrimage site with an Ashokan pillar, Bihar. From www.metmuseum.org
Working alongside the Bihar state government, the central government’s Ministry of Tourism is also planning to promote Buddhist sites both in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, and is working on a “Buddha heritage” project to help the state governments.
The Bihar government is in the process of chalking out the final route of December’s walking tour, in accordance with the instructions of the general director of the ASI. The director had told ASI officials to make a detailed report on the routes associated with the Buddha’s life back in 2012, and a group of experts have been working together and visiting sites in East and West Champaran, Muzaffarpur, and Vaishali under the leadership of the former deputy director of archeology of the government of Bihar, Ajit K. Prasad.
According to Prasad, Rampurva in West Champaran is the most important Buddhist site after Lumbini, Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, and Kushinagar. The famous Chinese traveler Xuanzang also mentioned this site in his records, and it therefore has the potential to be developed as a major tourist destination. The experts also mentioned some lesser known Buddhist sites which need immediate protection and conservation, like Bhikhna Thori, Hetukunwar, Mahayogini, Shahodra, Baudh Barva, Chanmari, Jagdishpur, and Chankigarh, all in West Champaran, and Sagardih and Nawniardhi, in East Champaran.
Also among Bihar’s holy Buddhist sites is the Mahabodhi Temple, which is one of the most spiritual attractions for Buddhists all over the world. However, since the 2012 bomb blasts in Bodh Gaya tourism has generally decreased in the state, and extra efforts will therefore need to be made to attract pilgrims to the Buddhist circuit. The state government will also need to develop infrastructure for pilgrims and tourists at the other Buddhist sites in Bihar.