Introduction

Siddhartha Gautama was the man who founded Buddhism. He was born in Lumbini
(known as Nepal today) in 563 B.C. His father was King Suddhodana and his mother
was Queen Maya Devi. He was rich and should have been destined to a luxurious
lifestyle as a prince but he was unhappy and thought that wealth was not the answer to
his happiness. Guatama left his palace at 29 years of age. He set out to find his ultimate
goal in life. He decided to become a monk and he studied the doctrines and travelled
and fasted but he felt he needed to learn much more someplace else. Two ascetic
teachers showed Guatama how to deeply meditate. He concentrated on meditation
and asceticism and Buddhists believed that Guatama had reached the Middle Way of
Enlightenment. He then sat under a papal tree which is known as the Bodhi tree now
in Bodh Gaya, India. After 49 days he attained Enlightenment, which is why he is
referred to as ‘The Enlightened One’ or ‘The Lord Buddha’. The remaining 45 years of
his life he travelled and taught many people around the plain of Ganges his doctrines
and his beliefs. By the time he reached the age of 80 he became sick. The Buddha’s told
that Guatama was going to the Parinirvana, his death. He died in 483 B.C. in
Kushinagar (today in India).Guatama identified four important pilgrimages to his
followers. These were the Lumbini, Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, and Kushinagar.
Lumbini
This is the place where Queen Mayadevi is said to have given birth to The Enlightened
One (Siddhartha Guatama), the founder of Buddhism was born in 563 B.C. It is one of
the four holy places of Buddhism. It is situated at the foothills of The Himalayas in
modern Nepal. This was the place where the Buddha lived a luxurious lifestyle before
setting out his journey at 29 years of age after he realized that wealth is not the answer
to his happiness. This is a must visit for Buddhists and many pilgrims from various
countries perform chanting and meditation at this site, from early morning and early
evening. Lumbini has several temples and has many ruins of ancient monasteries, a
sacred Bodhi tree, an ancient bathing pond and the Ashokan pillar. An important part
of Lumbini is the Mayadevi temple. This place has a stone image of Mayadevi giving
birth to Guatama as she holds onto a branch of the Sal tree.

-The Mayadevi temple

Bodh Gaya
“It is a place which should be visited or seen by a person of devotion and which could
cause awareness and apprehension of the nature of importance”

-Buddhanet.net

For Buddhists, this place is of the most importance out of the four pilgrimages. Bodh
Gaya is the place where The Enlightened One retained his ultimate Enlightenment. It
has been told that Guatama along with five ascetic teachers taught him for six years
teaching him austerities. After the starvation and the near to death experience, he felt
that their teaching’s had not exactly lead him to his goal, so he abandoned them. He
wandered around and reached the banks of Falgo River in Bodh Gaya. He was offered
milk and rice pudding from a village girl named Sujata. There sat under the papal tree,
which is now known as the Bodhi tree. He promised that he would not emerge until he
had found ‘The Truth’. After 49 days of deep meditation he completed Enlightenment.
From then on, he was called “The Enlightened One” or “Lord Buddha”. There are many
Buddhist temples in Bodh Gaya. The main pilgrimage attractions at Bodh Gaya are The
Mahabodhi temple and The Bodhi tree. The Mahabodhi temple was where the Lord
Buddha achieved his Enlightenment. Inside of this temple in the sanctuary there is a
huge statue of the Lord Buddha. The Bodhi tree was where Guatama, The Lord Buddha
sat under in extreme meditation for 49 days to achieve his Enlightenment. This tree is
near The Mahabodhi temple. This tree is considered very holy to Buddhists as this is
where The Lord Buddha retained his Enlightenment. The Bodhi tree may be used as
one of the symbols representing him. Many Buddhists come to this tree and meditate
and try to achieve enlightenment. Also pilgrims take leaves and seeds from the Bodhi
tree. The pilgrims would then bring it back to their monastery and plant it in their
own monastery to signify the existence of his teachings.

-Left to right: Bodhi tree, Mahabodhi Temple

Sarnath
The place got its name from Saranganath meaning ‘The lord of the deer”. It comes
from a story in which a Bodhisattva, a person which seeks enlightenment not just for
himself but for everyone sacrificed himself to the King instead of killing a doe. The
king was so moved by his actions and therefore built a deer park. This is where The
Lord Buddha first taught his teaching, the Dharma after the attainment of his
Enlightenment. He looked for his five former teachers and taught them of what he had
learned. They also became enlightened. Today this is known to Buddhists as “the
turning wheel of the dharma” or “the Dharmacarka”. This has been a global symbol of
Buddhism. Sarnath has developed as a place of pilgrimage for all Buddhists around the
world. It is a marvellous place to meditate and many pilgrims visit attractions around
Sarnath like The Ashoka’s Pillar and the gigantic Dhamek Stupa. This huge stupa is the
spot where The Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon. It is considered as a sacred
place where the Buddhism teachings were first heard. Tibetan Buddhists goes there
and chants their mantra “Om mani padme hum”. The Ashoka Pillar in Sarnath would
be one of the famous tourist spots in India. It was built by Emperor Ashoka who
during his pilgrimages built pillars wherever he visited. He visited places where the
Lord Buddha came to rest and preserved his bones after his death. The pillar in
Sarnath stated that” No one shall cause division in the order of monks”. There are four
animals illustrated on this pillar representing The Lord Buddha’s life, an elephant,
symbolizing the Lord Buddha’s conception as his mother dreamt of an elephant
entering her womb on the day she was conceived. A bull representing Taurus the
zodiac sign in which the Buddha was born. A horse, in which the Buddha rode from
place to place practising asceticism. Finally the lion illustrating the achievement of the
enlightenment. It has now become the national emblem of India.

The Dhamek Stupa

Kushinagar
This is the place where Buddha attained Parinirvana his death. The Buddha arrived at
this small place of Kushinagar or Kushinagar. The Buddha who was tired and felt weak
was unable to go on and asked his disciple Ananda if he could prepare a bed for him
between two Sal trees. This place is also considered very sacred to Buddhists. The Lord
Buddha still continued to preach his teachings and the truths of life at this point. He
told his followers that they should have no leader but only to believe in his teachings.
The major attraction of this place is The Ramabhar Stupa in which is the Buddha was
cremated. He had attained his last stage of Nirvana, The Mahaparinirvana.

His last words were:

All composite things pass away. Strive for your own liberation with diligence."
Conclusion
During my project, I have definitely learned a lot about Buddhism I finally understand
more about their pilgrimages and why they respect Siddhartha Guatama. To me, he is
a very respectable role model for everyone and there are many things in which you can
learn from him. Firstly I admired him because he is brave enough to leave a wonderful
and luxurious lifestyle to pursue his own goals in which he decided to learn from
ascetics for six years. He decided he would be free from material wealth. Secondly, he
was a man with great knowledge and strength. He attained Enlightenment for which
he sat under the Bodhi tree for 49 days deeply meditating. For many people in today’s
society we cannot even relax and meditate for one minute because there are many
distractions around us. He was a truly gifted man.

Four pilgrimages I have researched were Lumbini, Bodh Gaya, Sarnath and
Kushinagar. These places were based on the life of the Lord Buddha, Guatama, and are
now the most important places of pilgrimages for Buddhists. His birthplace, where he
first received his Enlightenment, where he taught his first teachings after his
Enlightenment and where he died.