The Pilgrim's Progress

For centuries, the devout of every faith have stepped out to seek God—as a ritual obligation, to perform an act of devotion, to atone for sins, implore a grace, or seek a miracle. The reasons for pilgrimages could be as varied as the pilgrims themselves, but every religion has places of religious-spiritual importance that draw the pious.

- Preeti Verma Lal ​​​​​​​

Buddhist Circuit

Prince Siddhartha (fifth century BCE) renounced the householder’s life, lived as an ascetic and later became the Enlightened One. In India, Buddhism began in and around the ancient Kingdom of Magadha (now in Bihar) and later spread throughout.

For the believer, the pilgrimage begins not in Lumbini (Nepal) where he was born, but in Bodh Gaya (Bihar) where he attained enlightenment. According to the Jatakas, the navel of the Earth lies at the spot where the Buddha sat under the Bodhi Tree, which miraculously had sprung up the day the prince was born. The Mahabodhi Temple was constructed nearly 200 years after the enlightenment and the present Bodhi Tree is said to be from a sapling of the original tree.