Rituals and occasions
Temple, ritual & pujaOccasions, dining & giftsPhotography & filmsSpecialist servicesOur Buddhist journeys begin at Sarnath, a short drive from Varanasi, where the Buddha gave his first teaching. From there they reach Kushinagar and Shravasti in Uttar Pradesh, or cross into Bihar for Bodh Gaya, Rajgir and Nalanda. Every journey names its destinations and duration up front.
This collection groups six existing itineraries. It is not a separate tier or a new journey; you still choose Standard, Premium or Luxury on each journey's own page. Three journeys stay within Uttar Pradesh and three cross into Bihar, and we keep that distinction clear because it changes the road time, the gateways and the number of nights.
Distances between the sites are real. Several hours by road separate some of them, so the suggested versions build in travel days and quieter afternoons rather than racing from one stupa to the next. Some of the longer routes are still being finalised, and their pages appear once the exact route and sites are approved.
Gaya and Bodh Gaya are different places. A Buddhist journey here does not include Hindu ancestral rites at Gaya, and a rites journey does not include a Buddhist programme, unless you ask us to add it. Lumbini, in Nepal, is handled as a separate extension enquiry.
Sarnath and Kushinagar; Sarnath, Kushinagar and Shravasti; the extended Uttar Pradesh route adding Sankisa; Bodh Gaya and Sarnath; Sarnath, Bodh Gaya, Rajgir and Nalanda; and the full route across both states. No journey is sold under a generic circuit name.
The journeys linking Sarnath with Kushinagar, Shravasti and Sankisa stay within Uttar Pradesh. Every journey that includes Bodh Gaya crosses into Bihar. Each page shows its gateways, overnight places and travel days.
Bodh Gaya, where the Buddha attained awakening, and Gaya, the Hindu pilgrimage town nearby, are separate destinations. Any combined visit is added expressly, never assumed.
Lumbini lies across the border in Nepal. It is never part of an Uttar Pradesh journey; if you would like to include it, we treat it as a separate extension enquiry with its own planning and documents.
Three nights linking Sarnath, where the Buddha gave his first teaching, with Kushinagar, the place of his parinirvana, ending at Gorakhpur for onward flights and trains.
Five nights from Varanasi to Lucknow: the deer park at Sarnath where the Buddha first taught, Kushinagar, the place of his parinirvana, and two nights at the Jetavana grove in Shravasti.
Seven nights to Sarnath, Kushinagar, Shravasti and Sankisa, the Buddha's places in Uttar Pradesh, with two nights at the main sites and rest between long road days.
Bodh Gaya, where the Buddha woke beneath the Bodhi Tree, and Sarnath, where he gave his first teaching, in a five-day private journey with two nights in each place and the Ganga at Varanasi in between.
Sarnath, Bodh Gaya, Vulture Peak at Rajgir and the ruined university of Nalanda, in a seven-day private journey that starts and ends in Varanasi, with three nights at Bodh Gaya.
Sarnath, Bodh Gaya, Rajgir, Nalanda, Vaishali, Kushinagar and Shravasti in a ten-day private pilgrimage by road from Varanasi to Lucknow.
The Uttar Pradesh journeys link Sarnath with Kushinagar, Shravasti and, on the extended version, Sankisa. The Uttar Pradesh and Bihar journeys add Bodh Gaya, and on longer versions Rajgir and Nalanda. Crossing into Bihar changes the gateways and adds road days, so the durations are longer.
No. They are close to each other but are separate destinations with different purposes. Our Buddhist journeys go to Bodh Gaya. Gaya, known for Hindu ancestral rites, is part of our Varanasi and Gaya journeys, and is added to a Buddhist journey only if you ask.
Lumbini is in Nepal and is handled as a separate extension enquiry, with its own route, border crossing and documents. Tell us in your enquiry and we will advise whether it fits your dates.
It depends on the tier and what is listed. Standard includes a named remote coordinator, and a sightseeing guide only where the journey lists one. Premium adds selected guided visits, and Luxury includes a dedicated concierge for agreed support hours each day. A specialist guide for Sarnath, or for other sites, can be added to any tier.
We shape the journey around them, then send a complete quotation before any payment.
