Buddhism is a set of principles or philosophy based on the teachings of Lord Buddha, who was born in 563 BCE at Lumbini,

Nepal as Siddhartha Gautam, a Shakya prince. Basically, Buddhism preaches the path of practice and spiritual development, thus, leading an insight into the truth of life. With its realistic base, Buddhism today is one of the major religions of the countries of Central Asia, Sri Lanka, Tibet, China, Korea,

The main objective of Buddhism is to end the suffering of cyclic existence or 'samsara' by awakening a being to the realisation of the truth and the achievement of liberation. According to the Buddhist doctrine, there is only one way to reach the destination of reality - One should purify and train the mind and heart and act as per the laws of Karma to

The basic tenets or teachings of Buddhism are straightforward, practical and states Nothing is fixed or permanent, Change is possible, Actions have consequences.

 Bihar is a state in east of India with its capital at Patna. The city ofBodhgayais one of the four holy pilgrimage destinations in Buddhism. It was here that a prince in search of truth attained enlightenment and became the Buddha. Bihar also has a number of other Buddhist attractions in store which tourist can discover during trip to the state.

 Uttar Pradesh, is home toSarnathandKushinagarwhich are other two of the four holy Buddhist sites.

Sarnath was the place where the Buddha delivered His first sermon after attaining enlightenment whereas in Kushinagar.

 Dharamsalain the beautiful state of Himachal Pradesh is where the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama is settled with his followers and other countrymen.

 The Ladakh region of Jammu Kashmir is predominantly Buddhists and here, too, a number of Buddhist monasteries can be seen. These monasteries are located in stunning locations, very often clinging to a hillside.

 The significance of Orissa in Buddhism is that it was here that an ambitious Indian king, Ashoka, realised that violence could be of no benefit to mankind. Inspired by the teachings of the Buddha, he renounced violence and took upon himself to spread dhamma. His efforts yielded fruitful result as the teachings of the Buddha not only spread to different parts of India, but also crossed boundaries to reach

TheMahabodhi Temple(Literally: "GreatAwakeningTemple")is aBuddhisttempleinBodhGaya

TheBodhi Tree, was a large and very oldSacred Figtree located inBodh Gaya.

 Sri Lanka, today, is one of the oldest continually practising Theravada Buddhist country in the world. For a tourist desirous of exploring Buddhism in this island country, the most important destinations are Anuradhapura,Polonnaruwa, Kandy and Dambulla.

 Buddhist Destinations in Japan KyotoandNaraare two important Buddhist destinations that you must visit on your Buddhist tourism to Japan. Nara was the capital of Japan when Buddhism actually started to spread rapidly in the country. Today, there are a number of Buddhist temples in the city which reveal the past of Buddhism in the area. Kyoto is known as the city of thousand temples, however as a matter of fact, the actual number of temples in the city far exceeds this figure.

 Buddhist Destinations in Mongolia Ulaanbataris the prime Buddhist destinations for anyone visiting Mongolia for a Buddhist tourism. The city has a number of Buddhist attractions in store for you. Some of these are Gandan monastery, Choijin Lama Monastery and Bogd Khan Palace Museum.

Location of the Four Holy Sites Lumbini :Nepal Bodhgaya :Bihar,India Sarnath :Uttar Pradesh, India Kushinagar :Uttar Pradesh, India