Day 1 — Ayodhya darshan
Pickup from Ayodhya Dham Junction, Maharishi Valmiki airport or your hotel. We begin at Hanuman Garhi, since tradition holds that Hanuman ji is greeted before Lord Ram, then walk across to the Ram Janmabhoomi complex for darshan. Phones and leather stay in the vehicle and cloakroom time is built into the plan.
Afternoon rest through the midday closure, then Kanak Bhawan and Dashrath Bhawan. We finish at Ram Ki Paidi for the evening aarti on the Saryu. Overnight in Ayodhya.
Day 2 — Saryu snan, then the drive into Bihar
Early Saryu snan and sunrise at the ghats, followed by darshan at Nageshwarnath Temple. After breakfast we set off for Bodh Gaya.
It is a long day on the road — roughly 500 km — so we break it properly rather than pushing straight through, with a lunch halt and tea stops along the way. Arrival in Bodh Gaya by evening, check in and rest. Overnight in Bodh Gaya.
Day 3 — Mahabodhi Temple and the monastery circuit
We start before sunrise at the Mahabodhi Temple, when the complex belongs to the monks and the meditation is at its deepest. Darshan of the gilded Buddha in the sanctum, then the Bodhi tree and the Vajrasana, the Diamond Throne marking the seat of enlightenment. Time to sit, and a clockwise parikrama of the temple.
After breakfast, the 80ft Great Buddha statue in the Daijokyo compound, then the international monastery circuit on foot — the Royal Bhutan Monastery, the Thai Wat, the Japanese Indosan Nipponji and the Tibetan Karma Temple, each built in its own national style.
Late afternoon across the river to the Sujata Stupa, and the Dungeshwari Caves where the Buddha practised six years of austerity before turning to the middle way. Back for the evening lamps at Mahabodhi. Overnight in Bodh Gaya.
Day 4 — Gaya, Vishnupad and departure
Morning drive into Gaya for the Vishnupad Temple, built over the footprint of Lord Vishnu set in rock, and the Phalgu ghats. For families who have come to perform pind daan for their ancestors we arrange a pandit and the ritual materials in advance — please tell us when booking so the morning is timed around it.
Drop at Gaya Junction or Gaya airport by afternoon. Onward connections to Varanasi, Patna or Kolkata can be arranged on request.
