"Buddhist Pilgrimages, like those of Christianity and Islam, are spiritually motivated journeys to holy places," says Tim Ward, author of four books about his travels in Buddhist lands, including What the Buddha Never Taught and the upcoming Savage Breast: One Man's Search for the Goddess. "By coming into proximity with these sites, the pilgrim is spiritually blessed. In Buddhism, this blessing is called "making merit" -- accumulating good karma that helps one attain enlightenment." Pilgrimage means different things to every believer. "In Tibet and other Mahayana schools, they pilgrims sometimes offer up the merit obtained on pilgrimage for the enlightenment of all sentient beings," adds Ward. "Thus a pilgrimage is not undertaken for one's own sake, but as an act of universal compassion."

For Buddhists, the main pilgrimage places are connected to the life of the Buddha.

An Introduction

The term Buddha comes from the ancient Indian word meaning "one who has awakened," and it applies to anybody who has achieved enlightenment. Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha we all know today, was one in the spiritual lineage of Buddhas, not the first and certainly not the last one. Siddhartha never claimed divine status for himself and he only set up to teach the Dharma (doctrine, truth) after much doubt and concern that the principles would not be understood.

Today, the four major pilgrimage places of Buddhism in the world are related to the life of Siddhartha Gautama.

Lumbini: The Birth

Lumbini is situated in the Terai plains of modern Nepal, and is considered the birth site of the Buddha (around 623 BC). "The Buddhist King Ashoka visited it in the 3rd Century BC and erected a pillar declaring it a sacred site," says Ward. "The pillar inscription declared that the king, in honor of the Buddha, granted Lumbini a tax cut! The pillar has been re-erected in modern times." Now known as the Ashoka Pillar, the unpretentious structure marks the spot where Buddha was born.

Puskarni, the sacred pool where Maya Devi took a bath before giving birth to the Buddha, is situated nearby.

As with many other places, Lumbini remained abandoned and neglected for centuries, until rediscovered by accident at the end of the 19th century. Later excavations revealed the ruins of a temple, a pagoda-like structure erected over the foundations of previous stupas. Inside, a bas-relief image of Maya Devi depicts the nativity.