Siddhartha Gautama's life is a mix of history and tradition, and since no one currently serving on the AJ staff was actually there, we've decided to stick the the traditions presently extant. As such, let us begin in the small town of Lumbini where, in about 563 BC, a young prince was born. Seers prophesied that the infant would, in the future, follow one of two paths: the path to glorious kingship or the path of a holy man. The boy was taken to the royal palace at Kapilvastu. His father built him several palaces, all the while shielding him from the pain and suffering of the world. He was married at age 16 and he and his wife began to have children. Prince Siddhartha knew only luxury.

Abandoning his family and the royal court altogether, Siddhartha traveled to Rajagaha, where his experiment with asceticism began. The young prince begged for alms in the streets. It wasn't long before he was recognized by the local king as the prince of Kapilvastu. In the end, Siddhartha left Rajagaha.

SARNATH

After studying under two hermit teachers, mastering what they had to teach, the prince was yet unsatisfied. He and five friends decided to try extreme asceticism, and they were said to have lived off as little as one leaf per day. After almost losing his life, Siddhartha, again, decided that this was not what he was looking for. What he sought, he realized, was a "Middle Path"--something that lay between indulgence, as his princely life had been, and his recent efforts of extreme asceticism. At the age of 35, sitting under a pipal tree at Bodh Gaya, he began to meditate, vowing not to rise until he'd found Truth--and after 49 days, so the story goes, he found it. He identified the source of human suffering (ignorance) and discovered the way to conquer it (known as the "Four Noble Truths"). Thus he became Gautama Buddha.

Siddhartha decided to teach these truths, known collectively as the dharma, to humanity. He took to the road, journeying to Sarnath, near Varanasi, and delivered his first sermon on the dharma there--and thus began gathering followers and disciples. He preached in Rajagaha, where he'd once been a beggar, and he preached at his home, Kapilvastu. Everywhere he went, he and his disciples made converts. His ministry lasted 45 years. Most of that ministry was restricted to the lower Ganges plains between the modern-day Nepalese border, Varanasi, and Bodh Gaya.

At the age of 80, Gautama Buddha, one-time prince turned enlightened being, died at Kushinagar, entering the eternal bliss of Nirvana.

Now let us retrace his footsteps.

From Delhi, we'll take a train (more fun than a plan, and cheaper, too--tickets can be had for less than US$10) to Gorakhpur, in Uttar Pradesh, just south of the Nepalese border. This will be our base for the next little while. So, first things first: we must head for Lumbini, birthplace of prince Siddhartha Gautama.

From Gorakhpur, we travel by road the approximately 120 kilometers (75 miles) to Lumbini. On the way, we'll cross into Nepal. Don't worry about a tourist visa; they are easily obtainable at the border. Once we've reached Lumbini, we'll see that it really is just a tiny town nestled in the Himalayan foothills. The Buddha's birthplace is marked by ruins, enshrined in the Maya Devi temple.

Once we've had our fill of this mostly Hindu hamlet, we'll return to Gorakhpur, then continue by train (fare: less than US$10) to Gaya, where a taxi or jeep can take us the short distance to Rajagaha (now called Rajgir). We've entered India's poorest state, and it shows. But Rajgir is a gem along Siddhartha's journeys, a remote site boasting a number of intensely interesting things to see and do. We suggest the Vulture's Peak, where the Buddha was said to stay when he was in the area, perched high above the valley. Other sites of interest: Venuvana monastery--the first ever founded by Siddhartha--and the remains of Jivakarama, another monastery used by the Buddha.

From here we move on to Bodh Gaya, scene of Siddhartha's Enlightenment. The main attraction here, of course, is the Bodhi Tree, said to have been grown from a sapling of a pipal tree from Sri Lanka that was itself grown from a sapling of the original pipal tree under which Siddhartha's Enlightenment took place. The tree is housed today within the Mahabodhi temple, which was built by the famous king Ashoka a century or two after the Buddha's death.

The train to Varanasi comes next (fare: less than US$10), from where a short trip will take us to Sarnath, scene of Siddhartha's first public teaching of the dharma. While here, one can't miss the massive, ancient stupas. We recommend a visit to the Sarnath Archaeological Museum as well.

Finally, our journey requires a visit to the traditional death-place of the Buddha: Kushinagar. From Varanasi, we'll train it back to Gorakhpur, then, via taxi or jeep, make our way by road the short distance to Kushinagar. The town is full of temples, shrines, and stupas. Mahaparinirvana Stupa stands in the place where Siddhartha was purported to have passed away, while about a mile away, a large, impressive mound marks the place where his body was cremated.

Guatama Buddha's footsteps retraced.

MORE FOOTSTEPS:

IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF GENGHIS KHAN
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF SIDDHARTHA GAUTAMA
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THOR HEYERDAHL
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF JUAN BAUTISTA DE ANZA
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF LT. HENRY LIDGBIRD BALL

PRINT EMAIL FONT+ | FONT-