Viharas were Buddhist monasteries where monks lived. Chaityas were prayer halls. Stupas were monuments that housed a relic of Buddha – his mortal remains or objects used by him. The largest and most well known viharas in India were in present day Bihar – Nalanda, Vikramshila and Odantapuri. Bihar is derived from the word Vihara, though there is no evidence of when the transition happened. Incidentally, all the three monasteries named above were destroyed by Bakhtiyar Khilji.

The picture is from Vikramshila in Bihar.

Picture Credit: Bihar Tourism

There are 30 caves at Ajanta – 5 are chaityas (for worship) and the rest are viharas (hostel for monks). They were carved over a 800 year period starting at the turn of first millennium CE. While the nearby Ellora caves are eclectic with Hindu, Jain and Buddhist shrines; the Ajanta caves are exclusively Buddhist. The Ellora caves are more notable for their sculpture while the paintings of Ajanta are unsurpassed. Ajanta was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1983.

Picture Credit: S. R. Ramanujam

Nalanda, a Buddhist institution, was founded in 427CE by the devout Vaishnavite Gupta Emperor, Kumaragupta I. The university was continuously patronised by succeeding ruling dynasties and kings who were of different religious persuasions – the rulers of Kanauj and the Buddhist Pala kings of Bengal in particular. It combined Buddhist teaching with other subjects and contributed greatly to science, astronomy and medicine. Aryabhata, the great mathematician is said to have spent time here. Buddhist pilgrims from across the world came to Nalanda. The Dalai Lama once stated that the source of Tibetan Buddhism was Nalanda. It is said that getting admitted to the university required aspirants to go through lengthy oral interviews with the teachers. After 7 centuries of existence, it was destroyed by the forces of Bakhtiyar Khilji.

Picture Credit: S. R. Ramanujam

Sanchi stupa at Vidisha near Bhopal is considered the earliest surviving complete form of temple architecture in India. Buddhist literature including the memoirs of Chinese pilgrims hardly mention Sanchi. Many scholars believe that it relates to the story of Asoka’s marriage with a merchant’s daughter. They also believe it is the site where their son Mahendra halted during his proselytising mission. Whether the story is true or not, the earliest monuments at Sanchi date from Asoka’s time. It was in use till 12th century CE and is now a UNESCO world heritage site since 1989.

Picture Credit: Biswarup Ganguly, Wikimedia Commons

Buddha taught the essentials of Buddhism to his first five disciples in Sarnath. He called his teaching Dhamma in the Pali language in which he preached (Dharma in Sanskrit). This event is called dharma-chakra-pravartna – turning of the wheel of law, by his followers. Why did he choose a place so far away from where he lived? It is said that the five disciples were the ones who had abandoned him earlier and had settled in Sarnath and he wanted to win them back. Kashi like now, was a magnet for holy men even then. The earliest Buddhist texts call Sarnath ‘Isipatana’ – a place where holy men landed. True to its name, it remains a centre of pilgrimage for Buddhists, Jains & Shaivites. The word Sarnath itself is related to Saranganath which means Lord of the Deer, an epithet of Lord Shiva. The Buddha also preached his first sermon at a deer park.

Picture Credit: Varanasi Tourism

Buddha’s mother was Mayadevi and his father was Suddhodana, who was an elected leader of the Sakya republic at Kapilavastu in northern Bihar with the title of Raja. His mother was on her way to her parents’ home to give birth, and Buddha was born en-route, under a sal tree at Lumbini in Nepal. An Asokan inscription at the site identified it as the Buddha’s birthplace. Mayadevi died in childbirth and Buddha was brought up by his maternal aunt, Prajapati who married his father. Later, Mahaprajapati would be the first woman to become a Buddhist nun. It was at her insistence that Buddha reluctantly allowed women into the Buddhist monastic order

Picture Credit: Ko Hon Chiu Vincent, UNESCO

Buddha is said to have had many previous births as Bodhisattva in both human and animal forms. The stories of these Bodhisattvas illustrate the teachings of Buddha. They are among the oldest literature of Buddhism and are considered a literary classic in their own light. Later forms of Buddhism started the worship of these Bodhisattvas leading to a development of a pantheon of Gods that made Buddhism look similar to Hinduism.

The picture is from Langza village in Spiti, Himachal Pradesh

Picture Credit: S. R Ramanujam

For much of the Buddhist world, Vesak, also called Buddha Day, Visakha Puja, or Wesak, is the most important day of the year. The name Vesak is derived from the name of the month in the Indian calendar, today called Vaisakha. The holiday falls on a full moon and can take place anytime from late April through early June on the Gregorian calendar, with Buddhist countries celebrating on different days. Vesak is also called Buddha Purnima (“full moon celebration”) or Buddha Jayanti. By the 1950s, many Asian countries celebrated International Vesak Day, and in 1999 the United Nations recognized it as an international holiday.

The picture is from Ajanta Caves.

Picture Credit: S. R. Ramanujam

Vipassana means ‘insight’ in Pali. It is a meditation practice where participants maintain silence for ten days continuously. Buddhist meditation is concerned with investigating the nature of experience and its effect on one’s senses. This is in keeping with the Buddhist concept of no self or conditioned arising of the self. The focus on mindfulness is different from the idea of samatha (stillness) i.e. quieting the mind through concentration on a single object which is the traditional method of meditation.

The picture is that of the Vipassana centre in Igatpuri, Maharashtra.

Picture Credit: Priyan Nithya, Flickr

There are 900-1000 rock cut cave temples In India. More than 700 of these temples are Buddhist in orientation. 80% of these cave temples are in Maharashtra, largely in the Konkan region. The soft basalt rock of Deccan plateau facilitated these temples. The Deccan area was also a Buddhist stronghold during ancient times as well as being a thriving trading route. Traders used the caves as resting & worship places enroute to busy ancient ports in Konkan. A 1st century CE book written by an Egyptian merchant mentions Chaul (Vasai), Sopara, Kalyan & Gharapuri (Elephanta) as important ports on the Konkan coast. The Kondhana (Karjat), Karle, Nanaghat & Bhimashankar were all part of important trade routes. All the places mentioned above have cave temples that served traders. The Mumbai metropolitan region was a thriving trading centre a couple of centuries before Christ.

The picture is of Karla Caves near Lonavala. It is 2200 years old.

Picture Credit: Kevin Standage, Wikimedia Commons

The name Buddha today is associated with the founder of Buddhism. It means ‘awakened one’ and was used as a title by a number of religious groups in India. Gradually, it got associated with Buddhism. Buddha was born Siddhartha. He was born in the Sakya republic of Kapilavastu in present day northern Bihar. Therefore he was called Sakyamuni (the sage of the Sakya). He belonged to a kshatriya clan of the Gautama gotra and got called Gautama (Sanskrit) or Gotama (Pali). The Buddha referred to himself as Tathagata (the one who has thus gone) while the earliest Buddhist texts referred to him as Bhagavat (Lord). Vardhamana was the original name of Mahavira, who is credited with popularizing Jainism.

The picture is from Ayuthaya in Thailand.

Picture Credit: S. R. Ramanujam

The Rock Edict IX of Ashoka was found in Sopara, also known as Shurparaka. It was the first urban settlement to emerge in the Mumbai metropolitan area in Mauryan times and remained an important port till the Portuguese and British made Mumbai their trading base 1800 years later. It is believed to be mentioned as Ophir in the Bible. The Rock Edict is now displayed at the Mumbai Museum.

Picture Credit: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya