Maha Parinirvan Express: a journey on the path of nirvana

New Delhi, Apr 6 (UNI) With an aim to attract 350 million Buddhists all over the world, Maha Parinirvan Express, the just-launched special service to the main four pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautam Buddha, is an attempt to promote and encourage Buddhist tourism in the country.

An endeavour by Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), the service provides a tourist a hassle-free pilgrimage by looking after the stay at various destinations, sight seeing and food.

''We want to provide a good service to both Indian and international tourists on this Buddhist trail. It is a unique service for the followers of Buddhism as India is a lone destination connecting all the four places of Buddhist importance,'' Director, Tourism and Marketing, IRCTC, Dr Nalin Shinghal said.

The first destination of the Maha Parinirvan Express that embarked its seven-day journey from Delhi on March 28, with passengers from Thailand, Japan, Korea and Singapore besides Indian tourists on board, was Bodh Gaya -- the land where Siddhartha attained enlightenment and became Buddha.

The second halt of the journey was at the ruins of Nalanda, one of the world's first residential universities besides sight seeing at Rajgir.

The next destination of Maha Parinirvan Express was Sarnath where Lord Buddha first proclaimed the Dhamma to the world. He delivered two discourses here, the Dhammacakkhapavathana Sutta and the profound Anattalakhana Sutta.

It also included a visit to Banaras Hindu University, Ganga and world famous Kashi Vishwanath temple in the holy city of Varanasi on the same day.

The Express then embarked its journey to Kushinagar where Lord Buddha attained Parinirvana after falling ill from eating a meal of a species of mushroom.

Many of the ruined stupas and viharas here date back to 3rd century BC - 5th century.

The next in line in this Buddhist pilgrimage was Lumbini in Nepal, the place where Mayadevi gave birth to Siddhartha Gautama.

Lumbini, as of 1997, is an UNESCO World Heritage Site sprawled over 2.56 sq km.

Lumbini has ruins of ancient monasteries, a sacred Bodhi tree, an ancient bathing pond, the Asokan pillar and the Mayadevi temple, where the precise place of birth of Buddha is located.

The next halt was Saravasti, the biggest town in the Gangetic plains during the Lord Buddha's lifetime, where Lord Buddha spent 25 rainy seasons displaying great miracles.

The journey in its last leg touched world famous Taj Mahal and Agra fort.

''India as a destination is diverse, and this journey has been a spiritual learning,'' said the much-enthused Hedy Mok, a tourist operator from Singapore.

IRCTC is looking forward to promoting India as a spiritual and cultural destination and Maha Parinirvan Express is a step to attain this goal, said Dr Shinghal.

UNI