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The mountains & the plains of India are host to some of the most intriguing, mystical caves and monasteries and four principal Buddhist pilgrimage sites.
Lumbini
In the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal lies Lumbini, the birthplace of Prince Siddhartha Gautama, who was later to become the Buddha. Queen Maya Devi of the Sakya clan was on her way to her parental home when she gave birth to the prince under a tree.
Bodh Gaya
Bodh Gaya is where Siddhartha Gautama became the Buddha as he sat in meditation on the diamond seat under the Bodhi (Ficus Religiosa) Tree.
Sarnath It was in the Deer Park at Sarnath that the Buddha gave his first significant sermons on the Middle Way , the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path to his five fellow seekers who became the first monks of the order.
Kushinagar The Buddha died in a Saal forest in Kushinagar and attained Mahaparinirvana at the age of 80.
Sikkim
The monasteries of Sikkim are places of religious discourses, worship, meditation and are the storehouse of many hand written religious books and manuscripts preaching morals.
Dharamsala
The Namgyal monastery or the Dalai Lama's temple is the main monastery. The beautiful monastery of Norbulingka is where Tibetan culture is kept alive in the form of art, paintings, handicrafts and tangkhas.
Ajanta and Ellora Caves
Ajanta Caves situated in the forest ravines and were brilliantly crafted with the Jataka tales, depicting the life of Lord Buddha. The Ellora Caves are located a short driving distance carrying on the great legacy of Ajanta .
Tabo Monastery
Set in the mountains of Himachal Pradesh, Tabo houses a community of sixty monks. On the sheer cliff-face above the monastery are a series of caves, which were used as dwelling units by the monks.
Some other places where Buddhist art and architecture have left their mark-
Nagarjunakonda
Amaravati
Thotlakonda
Bavikonda
Sankaram
Jagayyapeta
Bhattiprolu
Chandavaram
Guntupalli
Gopalapatnam
The Bharhut Stupa
The Sanchi Stupa
Nalanda
Nagapattinam
Ratnagiri
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