39 Buddhist Temples to Explore in India

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Buddhist Temples to Explore in India

Parinirvana temple

Mahaparinirvana Temple or Nirvana Temple symbolizes Buddhist architecture style. Buddhist pilgrims all over the year visit the shrine. The temple is built on the same place where Lord Buddha had attained Mahaparinirvana.

Pemayangtse Monastery

The Pemayangtse Monastery is a Buddhist monastery in Pemayangtse, near Pelling in the northeastern Indian state of Sikkim, located 110 km west of Gangtok. Planned, designed and founded by Lama Lhatsun Chempo in 1705, it is one of the oldest and premier monasteries of Sikkim, also the most famous in west Sikkim. Originally built by Lhatsun Chenpo in the 17th century, as a small Lhakhang, it was subsequently enlarged during the reign of the third Chogyal Chakdor Namgyal who was considered as Lhats

Phensang Monastery

Phensang Monastery is a Buddhist monastery of the Nyingmapa Order in Sikkim, India, 9 kilometres north of Gangtok. It was established in 1721 during the time of Jigme Pawo.

Phodong Monastery

Phodong Monastery is a Buddhist monastery in Sikkim, India. It is located 28 kilometres from Gangtok. It was built in the early 18th century but an older monastery had pre-existed the current one.

Pohale Buddhist Caves - Buddhist Archaeological Site

An ancient Buddhist cave located near the Jyothibha temple in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra. It is a rock-carved structure constituting many small cells and a tiny water reservoir.

Ramabhar Stupa มกุฏพันธนเจดีย์

One of the sacred destinations for the Buddhist followers, Kushinagar is one of the ancient cities that are famous for its Stupas and temples. One of the most important monuments in Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh in India is the Ramabhar Stupa, Kushinagar. Indianholiday.com offers online information on Ramabhar Stupa, Kushinagar and other tourist attractions of Uttar Pradesh and other parts of India.

Rinchenpong

Rinchenpong Monastery is situated above the twin villages of Rinchenpong and Kaluk in West Sikkim, at a height of over 1,700 metres in the northeastern state of Sikkim, India. This 18th century monastery is a popular tourist attraction in West Sikkim.

Rumtek Monastery Sikkim

The Rumtek Monastery is one of the largest and most significant monasteries in Sikkim, perched on top of a hill 23 km from Gangtok. Originally called as the Dharma Chakra Centre, it belongs to the Kargyu sect of Buddhists who originated in Tibet in the 12th century. Verdant green mountains surround the monastery and thus serves as a visual treat besides being a focal point for spiritual solace.

Sakya Tangyud Monastery

Sakya Tangyud Monastery is built like a fortified castle on the edge of a deep canyon, with massive slanted mud walls and battlements with vertical red ochre and white vertical stripes which make them look much taller than they really are. It is one of the highest altitude gompas (monasteries) in India, at an altitude of 4,520 metres (14,830 ft), on the edge of a deep canyon and overlooking the town of Kaza, Spiti.

Salugara Monastery শালুগাড়া বৌদ্ধ মন্দির

A famous Buddhist shrine located on the outskirts of Siliguri founded by Tibetan monks and followers of the Dalai Lama. The 100 ft stupa Is the main attraction of the monastry. This stupa is revered by the monks as it brings out five kinds of relics of Buddhism.

Samdruptse Monastry

One of the most revered monasteries in Sikkim, the Samdruptse Monastery boasts of modern planning and architecture, which is one of its highlights. The monastery is just 72 km Gangtok. In the local language Bhutia, the word ‘Samdruptse’ means ‘The Wish Fulfilling Hill’ and its name is a pointer to the extreme popularity of the monastery amid the devotees as well as the tourists.

Sarnath Buddhist Temple

Sarnath is a place located 10 kilometers north-east of Varanasi near the confluence of the Ganges and the Varuna rivers in Uttar Pradesh, India. The deer park in Sarnath is where Gautama Buddha first taught the Dharma, and where the Buddhist Sangha came into existence through the enlightenment of Kondanna. Singhpur, a village approximately one kilometer away from the site, was the birthplace of Shreyansanath, the Eleventh Tirthankara of Jainism.

Tabo Monastery

Tabo Monastery, also known as the 'Ajanta of the Himalayas,' is one of the most popular monasteries in the Lahaul and Spiti Valley and was founded more than a millennium back in 996 A.D. This ancient structure stands on the barren, cold, and rocky desert of the Tabo valley at a dizzying height of 3050 meters above sea level. This untouched beauty has preserved the glorious heritage, traditions, and culture of Buddhism through the passage of centuries.

Talaja Caves

The Talaja Caves are located in Bhavnagar district. The rock cuts are carved out into deserted conical rocks. The rock cut group include 30 caves among which about 15 are water tanks. The cave has unique architecture known as Ebhal Mandapa. The halls are plain. "On the facade there are chaitya windows with a broad bank below them." The chaitya and cells were carved during Buddhism influence in 2nd century BC.

Tashiding Monastery

Tashiding Monastery is a Buddhist monastery of the Nyingma sect of Tibetan Buddhism in Western Sikkim, northeastern India. It is located on top of the hill rising between the Rathong chu and the Rangeet River, 40 kilometres from Gyalshing and 19 kilometres to the south-east of Yuksam. Tashiding is the nearest town to the Tashiding Monastery, which is the most sacred and holiest monasteries in Sikkim.

Tawang Monastery

Tawang Monastery, located in Tawang city of Tawang district in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, is the largest monastery in India and second largest in the world after the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. It is situated in the valley of the Tawang River, near the small town of the same name in the northwestern part of Arunachal Pradesh, in close proximity to the Tibetan and Bhutanese border.

The Lamayuru Monastery

The Monastery consisted originally of five buildings, some remains of the four corner buildings can still be seen. Lamayuru is one of the largest and oldest monasteries in Ladakh, with a population of around 150 permanent monks residing. It has, in the past, housed up to 400 monks, many of which are now monasteries in gompas in surrounding villages.

Thotlakonda Ancient Buddhist Monastery

Thotlakonda buddhist complex is situated near Bheeemunipatanam. this was well within the influence of ancient Kalinga, which was an important source of dissemination of buddhism to Sri Lanka and various parts of Southeast Asia. It provides an insight into the process of transoceanic diffusion of Indic culture, especially Buddhism.

Udaygiri and Khandagiri Caves

Udaygiri and Khandagiri Caves are partly natural and partly artificial caves of archaeological, historical and religious importance near the city of Bhubaneswar in Odisha. The caves are situated on two adjacent hills, Udayagiri and Khandagiri, mentioned as Kumari Parvata . They have a number of finely and ornately carved caves built during 2nd-century BCE. It is believed that most of these caves were carved out as residential blocks for Jain monks. Udayagiri means "Sunrise Hill" and has 18 cav

Map of Buddhist Temples to explore in India