Buddhist Heritage Tour takes you through three distinct geographical locations in Nepal. You begin the journey from Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautama Buddha in Tarai plains. From there, you will come to Swayambhunath, Bauddhanath and Kapan Monastery in Kathmandu in the hilly region.
Finally, you will go to Tengboche Monastery high up in the mountains. These locations carry important religious and spiritual significance. Visiting these Buddhist landmarks, you can also explore the lifestyle of Nepali people in three distinct geographical divisions.
In Lumbini, you will see how a prince eventually became The Buddha – his birth, early beginnings and determination to figure out the meaning of life. You will also understand how after years of meditation and wandering, he finally attained enlightenment and became the epitome of inner peace. Here, you will visit many other sites that justify the attainment of peace of mind and the soul.
Along with the birthplace of Lord Buddha, you have many more to explore in this town. Peace Pagoda, Lumbini Garden, Maya Devi Temple, Tara Foundation, World China Temple, Thai Monastery, Burmese (Myanmar) Temple, Nepal Buddha Temple and Dharmaswami Buddhist monastery are some of the important sites to visit further.
The next leg of your journey takes you to Bauddhanath, Swayambhunath and Kapan Monastery in the Kathmandu Valley. The stupa of Bauddhanath is the largest stupa in Nepal and the holiest Tibetan Buddhist temple outside Tibet. Lying in the eastern part of the city, it is the center of Buddhist culture in Kathmandu.
Swayambhunath Stupa, perched atop a hill on the western edge of the Kathmandu Valley is Kathmandu’s most important Buddhist shrine. The all-seeing eyes of Buddha stare out into the city, watching over its inhabitants.
Apart from these two monasteries, you have Kapan Monastery located at the outskirts of the city. The shrine was established in 1969 on top of Kapan Hillock by the Foundation of the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT).
The Kapan Nunnery inside the monastery premises was established in 1979. This is popular for teaching the western foreigners about Buddhist culture and tradition. Only on Saturdays, the monastery is open that thousands of domestic and international tourists throng into the shrine. In other days of the week, it remains close for the visitors.
Towards the end of the journey, you will go to visit the Buddhist Cultural site of the Khumbu region. Here, you have a few Buddhist shrines built hundreds of years ago to mark the influence of Tibetan Buddhist influence in the region. Tenboche Monastery (3,867m) is the largest one in Khumbu. Built in 1916, it is located within Sagarmatha National Park and provides a wonderful panorama of the Himalayas. If you make this trip between October and November, you can observe Mani Rimdu Festival. This festival is the greatest festival of the Sherpa ethnic group living in this region.
Another cultural site of Buddhism is the 400 years old Khumjung Monastery. You can reach Khumjung village from Namche Bazaar in 1 hour by walking along the uphill and downhill trail. You can also visit the meditation cave of Padmasambhava, the Guru Rinpoche. Padmasambhava is the founder of the Tibetan Buddhist religion and is believed to have meditated in this cave.
The most significant thing to see in this village is the Yeti Scalp in Khumjung Monastery. Nobody has ever proved whether or not the yeti really existed but even Sir Edmund Hillary has talked about this remaining of the abominable man in his book and many interviews as well.
There are some local monasteries and chortens in Lukla, Phakding and Namche Bazaar as well. You can visit these shrines decorated highly by the prayer flags and wheels. Visiting these sacred places gives you the true sense of peace and tranquil.
Orbit Alpine Adventure has prepared Buddhist Pilgrimage tour for 12 days. You can cut short or extend Buddha Pilgrimage itinerary. You can contact us via email, phone call, WhatsApp or online booking services.
FAQs:
1. What is Buddhist Cultural Tour?
Buddhist Cultural Tour is one of the popular tour packages of Nepal. As it is the birthplace of Lord Buddha, here are many such shrines dedicated to Lord Buddha. Mainly, this tour includes the birthplace of Lord Buddha, Lumbini, Kathamndu and Everest region. While visiting the Buddhist shrines of Everest region, you can also have the breathtaking view of Mt. Everest and other snowy peaks.
Apart from the Buddhist Cultural sites, you can also see the lifestyle, culture and tradition of the three physical divisions of Nepal. Lumbini lies in Terai region; Kathmandu in Hilly and Everest region is in Mountain region. This tour helps you realize the true sense of peace of mind and the soul.
2. How long is Buddhist Cultural Tour?
Generally, Buddhist Cultural tour takes you around the birthplace of Lord Buddha, Kathmandu and Everest region. Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha can be reach in an hour from Kathmandu. You need another day to explore the major Buddhist sites of Kathmandu. On the third day, you can reach Everest region. You can visit Tengboche Monastery and Khmjung Monastery in another two days. As a whole, you can complete this tour in 5 days after all. If you want to do this Buddhist pilgrimage tour leisurely, you need to book the itinerary longer than that. For more details, contact www.orbitalpineadventure.com.
3. How costly is Buddhist Cultural Tour?
It is obvious that cost of any tour or trek package is determined by different factors. Some of them are duration, facilities you want to have, vacation you have and mode of transportation you want to use. Orbit Alpine Adventure has been helping its clients to get 100% satisfaction by providing the best package at the reasonable cost. For more information about the Buddhist Cultural Tour cost, visit www.orbitalpineadventure.com.
