Suffering may be the path to enlightenment, but retracing the steps of the Buddha need not be fraught with hardship. With interest in Buddhism growing around the world, Indian Railways has devised a Buddhist Circuit train that takes travelers on an eight-day odyssey in air-conditioned comfort through some of the faith’s most important spiritual sites.
Cocooned in safety and pampered by attentive, smiling hosts, the modern-day traveler has plenty of time for contemplation.
The train meanders through some of the least developed rural hinterlands in India. From the national capital of New Delhi, it heads nearly 1,000 kilometers east to Bodhgaya, where a wandering ascetic named Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment and became the Buddha, and to Kushinagar, where he passed away. The landscape and lifestyle in these areas have not changed much since the Buddha walked on this dusty land 2,500 years ago, preaching liberation from suffering through altruism.
Launched in 2007, the Mahaparinirvan Express, a seven-coach train that can accommodate 240 people in sleeper berths, is already a hit among international travelers. “We get tourists from as far as the United States, Canada, and Argentina,” says Nalin Singhal of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation, the arm of Indian Railways that operates the train. Travelers gather at New Delhi’s exclusive Safdarjung station for a traditional welcome before the train departs at 4 p.m. The first stop, at dawn the next day, is at Bodhgaya, where Buddhism’s holiest shrine, the Mahabodhi Temple, draws pilgrims from all over the world. Maroon-robed Tibetan monks prostrate beside white-clad Thai and Sri Lankan devotees meditating in the granite courtyard outside the temple, alongside a golden Buddha. As if to underline the peaceful coexistence of India’s multiple faiths, a muezzin calls Muslims to prayer at a mosque down the road, as bells chime in Hindu temples nearby.
After a night in a comfortable hotel, visitors are taken in air-conditioned buses to Rajgir, some 85 kilometers away, where, on a rocky hilltop, the Buddha gave many of his famous teachings, including the one on the Lotus Sutra, which gives instruction on how to move toward enlightenment. The bus journey exposes travelers to India’s chaotic, potholed roads, where bullock carts vie with cycle rickshaws and ambling cows. Also on the itinerary: the impressive ruins of the Nalanda monastic university, which was established in the fifth century and drew students from as far as Egypt, Iran, and China.
Returning to the train, pilgrims travel overnight to the Hindu holy city of Varanasi and nearby Sarnath, where the Buddha met up with five of his Hindu ascetic friends in a deer park and gave them the first sermon after his enlightenment, known as “turning the wheel of dharma.” Hearing his sermon, the story goes, the five ascetics instantly became his first disciples. One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities, Varanasi, on the western bank of the Ganges, draws devout Hindus and others with its ancient temples and relaxed religiosity. An evening boat ride on the Ganges gives travelers a view of burning pyres on the riverbank. Guides say the pyres are never extinguished, since bodies keep arriving for cremation.
The train then travels to Kushinagar, where the Buddha passed away after about four decades of wandering and teaching kings and commoners how to still the mind and experience lasting happiness. Several nations with large Buddhist populations have built temples in Kushinagar surrounded by green lawns, shady trees, and clear pools. Prominent among them is the Mahaparinirvana Temple, built by Thailand, where a six-meter-long statue of the Buddha lies in repose. A mighty Indian king named Ashoka, who became a Buddhist after a bloody conquest, also built several stupas, or towers, in the third century before the Christian era, commemorating the Buddha and his teachings. Ashoka, whose empire stretched from Afghanistan to Burma, adopted Buddhism as his state religion and helped spread it across Asia, North Africa, and Greece.
Siddhartha Gautama was born a prince in a place called Lumbini, which is now across the border in Nepal. The trip organizers arrange for a day’s outing to this beautiful, sleepy little town in the Himalayan foothills, where a stone slab marks the exact spot where the Buddha was born. The next day the tour visits Sravasti, in Uttar Pradesh. Legend has it that the Buddha wandered through the kingdoms and cities with his monks, preaching love, tolerance, and compassion. But when heavy rains virtually cut off large swaths of northern India during monsoon season, they took shelter in a forest in Sravasti and he continued his teachings there. To commemorate his stay, Thai devotees have built a temple and a towering golden Buddha.
Running twice a month during the six pleasant months from October through March, the train has a well-equipped kitchen-plus-pantry that serves both vegetarian and nonvegetarian hot meals, as well as snacks and beverages. The coaches are fitted with modern toilets and showers with hot and cold water. The price ranges from $105 to $168 per person per night, including all meals, two overnight stops at hotels, ground transport, entry fees to monuments, and multilingual guides.
On the last leg of the journey, the train logs more than 3,000 kilometers, visiting 13 ancient sites associated with the Buddha and his life. The final stop, however, is something far more earthly: Agra, home to the Taj Mahal, a monument Mughal emperor Shah Jahan built for his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. After visiting one of the Seven Wonders of the World, tourists board the train for the 200-kilometer journey back to New Delhi. There they have plenty of time for the less-than-spiritual mission of stocking up on souvenirs.
