Sravasti, located about 175 kms away from Lucknow is an important destination on the Buddhist circuit and was one of the six largest cities in India during Gautama Buddha's lifetime. The city was located in the fertile Gangetic plains in the present day's Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh. Jetavana monastery was a famous monastery close to Sravasti.
It is said that Lord Buddha spent a greater part of his monastic life in Sravasti. Here you can visit a number of stupas, age old monasteries and several temples.
Tourist Attractions:
Sahet and Mahet are the main tourist attractions in Sravasti. These are clusters of shrines which consist of mainly Buddhist stupas and monasteries.
Angulimala's stupa, Anathapindika's stupa, the Ananda Bodhi tree and the ShobnathaTemple, an old temple dedicated to Jain Tirthankara ‘Sambhavnath’ attract Buddhist pilgrims and tourists alike.
The Jetavana Monastery in Sahet-Mahet was one of the most famous Buddhist monasteries in India. The monastery was gifted to Buddha by a wealthy merchant named Anathapindaka. It is said the Buddha spent 24 monsoons meditating in this monastery. Buddha had given many sermons here and during its time the monastery had temples, meditation halls, a library, monk chambers, bathing places and a hospital.
Getting There:
Lucknow is the nearest domestic airport about 175 kms away and has good connections to most of the major cities in India. The nearest railway station is at Balarampur (19 kms from Sravasti). One can find regular buses from Lucknow, Balrampur and nearby places to Sravasti.
