Not a religion but a spiritual tradition
During its 2500 years of history, Buddhism has been remarkably flexible, adapting itself to different conditions and local ideas while maintaining its core teachings. Today, it encompasses a diverse range of traditions, beliefs, and practices and has influenced spheres like arts, morals, lore, mythology, social institutions and the like. During the last decades, Buddhism has also gained a significant presence outside Asia.
The origins of Buddhism point to one man, Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha, who was born in Lumbini (in present-day Nepal) during 5th century BCE. Rather than the founder of a new religion, Siddhartha Gautama was the founder and leader of a sect of wanderer ascetics (Sramanas), one of many sects that existed at that time all over India. After Siddhartha Gautama passed away, the community he founded slowly evolved into a religion-like movement and the teachings of Siddhartha became the basis of Buddhism.
Lumbini, Bodhgaya, Sarnath and Kushinagar are the primary places associated with the life and teachings of the Buddha. Every year, millions of Buddhist pilgrims make their way to India and Nepal to travel through this Buddhist circuit for prayer, study and meditation. But the legacy of the Buddha goes beyond these places and that is where we wish to take you by curating Buddha Walks. Beyond conducting storytelling sessions and explaining the relevance of these sites, we would like you to explore the fluid nature of socio-cultural exchanges in the time of the Buddha.
But, there is much more to Buddha legacy than these places, and that is where we wish to take you by curating Buddha Walks. More than just describing places and what to see, we would like you to see more cross spiritual socio-cultural exchanges, and hopefully some “loving kindness” will rub off with whoever you meet, far or near, large or small, in the spirit of enlightenment.
Explore the ancient seats of learning
At the tender age of twenty-nine, Siddhartha Gautama left the opulence of his royal palace in search of the truth. For the first time in his life, he saw poverty, misery, and illness Discontented with his materialistic life and the conditions that surrounded him, he gave away all his belongings and searched for enlightenment through the abandonment of basic needs.
Siddhartha focused all his energies on the attainment of his ultimate goal of enlightenment. He sat under a bodhi tree in intense meditation, and fought off all worldly temptations. After forty days of meditation and starvation, he reached his ultimate goal- nirvana. When he finally attained enlightenment, he was thereafter known by the title of Buddha, or “Awakened One.” Today, this bodhi tree flourishes inside the Mahabodhi temple complex amidst a beautiful garden, in the tiny temple town of Bodh Gaya.
Our walking tours are meant to connect you with the thought processes of the Buddha. Our tours are known for their high level of expertise, local knowledge and a range of experiences that are created and customized as per the needs and requirements of our guests.
Peace comes from within!
The Buddha travelled extensively across India, gathering disciples and spreading his teachings. During the course of Buddha Walks, we don’t just explore but experience the mesmerizing ambience of these peaceful and serene places. We take you through beautiful stupas and breathtaking monasteries where Buddhist monks can be found praying and engaging in Buddhist rituals.
Explore these pious places with ‘India City Walks’ specially curated vertical ‘Buddha Walks’ and feel the serenity echo through your soul. We believe that integrating the Buddha’s teachings into our daily life will help us resolve all our conflicts, problems and concerns and attain a truly peaceful mind.
About us
We believe that India is the land of the Buddha, for it was here, in the small town of Bodh Gaya, that the great prince Siddhartha attained enlightenment and became Buddha. We start curating experiences under “Buddha Walks” to offer curious travelers a way to explore the history, culture and religion of Buddhism like never before.
‘India City Walks’ is National Tourism Award winning brand that was conceptualized with the simple idea of exploring cities across India in an earthy manner. We offer thematic walking tours and develop experiential itineraries that explore the multicultural fabric of Indian towns and cities. The themes we cover are wide and varied, ranging from art, architecture, cultural and gastronomic history and the like.
Our passionate team of ‘city explorers’ weave their intriguing stories around these themes and most of their tales involve an admixture of all of the above mentioned themes, thus creating an interactive ambience during the course of our walking tours. Even in the city’s most popular locations, we offer unparalleled, memorable and holistic local experiences.
Feel free to contact us in order to find out which walk suits you best. You can reach us through email during weekends and holidays.
