In India, there are many Buddhist pilgrimages. Typically, most Buddhist pilgrimages are located in the states of Bihar and Maharashtra. Lord Buddha Pilgrimage is located in Bihar, while Nagarjuna Pilgrimage is located in Maharashtra. Many of our Buddhist masters were born in India and grew up in India. In the past, India had a strong influence of Buddhism, but gradually, the number of Buddhists in India declined.
I went on pilgrimage to Bodh Gaya and Varanasi almost every year for His Holiness Dalai Lama’s teachings. In Bodh Gaya, there are many holy places of Lord Buddha, and I visited them and taken blessings from each place. I’m fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit pilgrimages many times. Some people never get a chance to visit holy places like Bodh Gya and Varanasi because they lack time and money. In our philosophy, this is due to lack of luck, and one needs to accumulate merits to visit holy places.
I’ve also visited Ajanta and Ellora caves. These two caves are very unique Buddhist pilgrimages. They appear as natural formations, with all the statues appearing from the cave. If you think about that situation, it’s truly amazing – at that time, they didn’t have machines to create it. But now, if we look at it, it looks like it was made by machine, and it’s very clear and beautiful. When I visited there and saw the statue in the cave, I was surprised. I thought about how they managed to create it so well. I also visited Amaravati for Nagarjuna pilgrimage - it was very nice.
Someday, I hope to visit Ladakh for pilgrimage. There are many holy places of Guru Rinpoche. I will try to go to Ladakh. Generally, it is similar to Tibet, and there are also old monasteries and holy places of Buddhism. I like the conditions in Ladakh and the atmosphere.