Thai Airways leads the way to sacred Buddha sites in India and Nepal Part 2Prepared by Harold Stephens
Travel Correspondent for Thai Airways International
If you ever want to spend an interesting couple of days, join one of the Thai Airways flights to tour the sacred Buddha sites in north India. This includes an overland drive to Lumbini in Nepal to visit another very import religious site—the birthplace of the Lord Buddha. I was making the survey excursion for Royal Orchid Holidays to determine what would be the best method of travel for those who wanted to visit all the sacred Buddha sites in India and Nepal at the same time. I said good-bye to the others in the group—they were returning by THAI to Bangkok—and loaded my bags into a mini van for the trip.
Before departing for Nepal I wanted to visit once again Wat Thai Kusinara Chalermraj in Kushinagar. I felt we had missed much in our previous visit. Kushinagar, as I mention in my report last week, marked the holy place where the Buddha entered his final Nirvana and where he was cremated. Wat Chalermraj, which also serves as a monastery, dates back only ten years, and it’s remarkable what has transpired in that short time. The Indian Government granted the land’s ownership on Maghapuja Day, February 24, 1994, to the Mulnidhi Wat Thai Kusinara Chalermrajya Society. The Wat was initiated for the worship of the Lord Buddha and to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Accession to the Throne and the 72nd Birthday Anniversary of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, King of Thailand. His Majesty gave the temple the name that it now bears and the royal monogram " Bhor Por Ror" was affixed on the front gable. Her Royal Highness Princess Chakri Sirindhorn represented His Majesty to lay the foundation stone of the Maha Chetiya on March 30th 2001.
It wasn’t until 1957, actually, that the government of India under the directive of Prime Minister Nehru decided to celebrate Buddha and revitalize Buddhism in India. Thailand was the first country to build a monastery. The temple in Gaya was constructed under a lease agreement between the governments of India and Thailand.
One person with whom I wanted to spend more time at Wat Chalermraj was the monk in charge, Dr. Phramaha Khomsorn Khamkert. Here was one person who could tell us everything we wanted to know about the monastery and, of course, about the area. Dr. Phramaha has been at the monastery from the day it was planned until now, some ten years. He escorted us on a tour of the monastery, and then took the time to tell me something about himself and his work. He was born near Bangkok 34 years ago and became a novice monk at 13. He studied in Bangkok and holds several university degrees including a doctorate in philosophy; thus his title Dr. Phramaha.
One area of the monastery that Dr. Phramaha is most proud is the Kushinagar Clinic which is staffed by volunteers. It is open to anyone seeking medical care regardless of race, age or religion. The clinic opened on August 2000. I looked at the records and noticed from the opening date up to July 2002, a two-year period, it administered to 41,920 patients. People from a 50 to 70-kilometre circuit came to get help and some came on foot from 220 kms away. Dr. Phramaha emphasized that doctors, nurses, pharmacists and anyone with medical skills are invited to volunteer their services. Donations can also be made—money, medicine or other medical items—directly to the Wat Thai Kusinara Chalermraj Monastery office.
As a passing note, Dr. Phramaha also showed us quarters for visitors that the monastery provides. They are simply furnished, and comfortable. Thai temples at all four sites offer free room and board to THAI travellers.
We lingered so long that darkness had begun to fall by the time we departed for Nepal. We were told it would be a six to seven hour drive. Ten hours later we were still on the road. The road, to say the least, is abominable. In the daytime it might be another matter. The few hours of light we did have were very interesting. Here was truly the Indian countryside. We saw more small villages and countryside than we normally would have, for, as we later learned, the driver went far out of our way to stop at his village and say good bye to his young wife and son. We had no complaint. He was proud to be driving us.
Darkness ended our sightseeing, for all we could see was oncoming headlights and deep potholes in the road that appeared without warning. Some holes were so deep and menacing looking we had to stop completely and crawl through or past them. There were no road signs or markers, and at times it was nearly impossible to determine if we were on the road at all. But our driver was cautious and we arrived at our hotel before midnight. Fortunately, the management had kept dinner waiting for us. And to add a bit of Thai flavour to our meal, Pariya, our lady from the President’s office, stepped into the kitchen to show the chef a thing or two about Thai cuisine.
The next morning at 06:00 we began our tour.
Lumbini, the Lord Buddha’s birthplace, evokes a kind of holy sentiment to the millions of Buddhists all over the world, as does Jerusalem to Christians and Mecca to Muslims. For centuries, Buddhists all over the world knew that Lumbini was where the Buddha was born. However, the exact location remained uncertain and obscure until as recently as 1886 when a wandering archaeologist came across a stone pillar and ascertained the exact location.
The historic importance of the pillar is evidenced by the inscription engraved on it in Brahmi script. It reads that Emperor Ashoa (sometimes spelled Ashoka) visited the site in the twentieth year of his ascendancy (some 300 BC) to the throne, and as homage to the birthplace, erected the pillar.
South of the Ashoa Pillar there is the famous sacred pool ‘Puskarni’ believed to be the same sacred pool in which Maya Devi took a holy dip just before giving birth to the Lord and also where the infant Buddha was given his first purification bath.
The single most important place of Lumbini is the stone slab located deep in the Sanctum Sanctorum. Revealed after hard and meticulous excavations under the three layers of ruins over the site of a famous Maya Devi temple, the stone slab foundation pinpoints the location of the original place, marking the exact spot of the birthplace of Lord Buddha.
In addition to Ashoa Pillar, the other Shrine of importance is the bas-relief image of Maya Devi, enshrined in a small pagoda-like structure. The image shows Maya Devi, mother of the Lord, supporting herself by holding on with her right hand to a branch of the Sal tree, with the newly born infant Buddha standing upright on a lotus pedestal on an oval halo. Two other celestial figures are depicted in an act of pouring water and lotuses bestowed from heaven.
The main things to see in Lumbini today are the Ashoa Pillar with its inscription mentioning that "here the Buddha was born," and the nearby ruins that are presently undergoing restoration and all the modern temples. Scattered around the area are dozens of Buddhist temples, shrines and monasteries erected by various Buddhist countries of Asia. The Thai temple is one of the most prominent.
Our departure from Lumbini was much easier than our arrival. We caught a Buddha Airline flight that carried us from the flat southern plains of Nepal over the Himalayas to Kathmandu. The view from our two engine-prop aircraft was spectacular and, unfortunately, lasted only an hour. From Kathmandu it was by THAI back to Bangkok.
In the Mahaparinibbana Sutta, Buddha tells his chief disciple, Ananda, that there are four places "that a devout person should visit and look upon with reverence." These four places are Lumbini, where he was born; Bodhi Gaya, where he attained realization; Saranath, where he gave his first teachings; and Kushinager, where he passed away. With the new THAI flights ROH passengers can visit them all, in style and comfort.
QUESTIONS & ANSWERSI encourage readers to write in and I will attempt to answer questions that may be puzzling them about Thailand, or anyplace that THAI flies.
Q. Mr. Stephens, We will let you settle the debate between my husband and me. We have decided to come to Thailand for a vacation and want to spend time at the beach. Phuket sounds good. We also want to do some travelling. My husband was in the US Army during the Vietnam War and wants to travel to Laos. He says he only saw it from the air and would now like to see it from the ground. I want to go to Angkor Wat, ever since I can remember. We only have two weeks. What do you suggest? Barbara Wyckoff, Pasadena, California.
A. Dear Barbara, You certainly put me on a spot. I learned, never side between wife and husband. However, Thai Airways has domestic flights that can take you to all the destinations without losing time. You can take a direct international flight to Phuket, soak up the sun in a week of fun on the beach, and then make flights to two destinations, one in Laos and the other in Cambodia. A few days in each destination and you both will be happy. Let me hear how it turns out. HS
Harold Stephens
Bangkok
E-mail: ROH Weekly Travel (booking@inet.co.th)
Note: The article is the personal view of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the view of Thai Airways International Public Company Limited. | 
