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King Ashoka was one of the prominent followers of Buddhism. It is said that Ashoka was deeply moved by the bloodshed he saw during the Kalinga war. Hence, he decided to give up the way of war and adopted Buddhism. He decided to spread Buddhist teachings throughout his kingdom and promote peace. As such, he erected various stupas and pillars to spread Buddhism and its teachings.

The great stupa at Sanchi is one such specimen of Ashoka’s contribution to Buddhism. It is believed that when Ashoka was journeying to Ujjain to see the Viceroy, he stopped at Vidisha (a city in Uttar Pradesh) that lies 10 km from the sacred site. There he married the daughter of a local banker, Devi. It was due to her influence that Ashoka decided to give a tribute to the place and subsequently commanded the construction of the stupa and other architecture at Sanchi.

Gautam Buddha’s mother belonged to the Koliya kingdom which lies in present-day Nepal. As per Buddhist texts, when Gautam Buddha attained Parinirvana, seven kings including the king of Koliya went to Kushinagar to get the remains of Gautam Buddha. As such the kings divided the relics equally into eight portions among themselves. The king of Koliya after receiving the relics paraded them through his city and thereafter enshrined them in a stupa built in Ramgram across the Jharavi river.

As a city of commercial significance during the reign of King Prasenjit, Saketa attracted many travelers. This also presented an opportunity for preachers and saints to spread their knowledge far and wide through these traveling traders and merchants. As per historical records, Gautam Buddha stayed in Saketa and traveled around the city preaching and spreading the dhamma. During his stay, Lord Buddha composed the Phena Sutta and often delivered his sermons from the Anjanvana, close to the city. 

Many records suggest the existence of Buddhist monasteries and buildings in Saketa and excavations of the various mounds surrounding modern Ayodhya have confirmed this belief. Archaeological Survey of India discovered a structure in excavation of 2003 that resembled a stupa which was possibly destroyed by Muslim invaders. The Touchstone (Kasauti) pillars found during the British excavation in 1870 are similar to the ones found in Buddhist structures in Sarnath. 

With such a rich Buddhist history, Ayodhya or Saketa offers a glimpse into the lives of people when Lord Buddha walked in the city’s streets and spread the message of Buddhism through his teachings. 

In Buddha’s time, Rajgir was the capital city of the kings of Magadha and the name itself means “House of the King”. The ancient town is dotted with many remains of Buddhist architectural style built by the patrons of Buddhism. 

The ancient town earned importance as a site for Buddhist pilgrimage as the Lord Buddha is said to have frequently visited the site and also preached two sermons. After the attainment of parinirvana by Buddha, the first Buddhist Council was hosted in the Saptaparni caves of Rajgir. Jivkamaravana monastery located amidst lush greenery is believed to have been Buddha’s favorite retreat. 

Now the remains are considered holy for pilgrims and are visited by them to seek the blessings of Gautam Buddha.

Patna (Pataligram) became the capital of the Haryanka Dynasty in the 6th Century BCE. Since then it enjoyed an important position in the strategical development of the two major kingdoms of Northern India: The Maurya and Gupta Empires. King Ashoka, a Mauryan ruler was a great patron of Buddhism as such he contributed greatly to the religion by creating stupas and pillar inscriptions that spread Buddhist teachings. The city was also visited by Gautam Buddha himself on several occasions and it is said that he also visited it during his last journey to Kushinagar where he attained Parinirvana. As such Patna is considered to be a sacred site in Buddhism and Buddhist devotees do visit it during their pilgrimage tour to India. 

Varanasi or rather the outskirt town Sarnath is believed to be the cradle of Buddhism. One of the seven sacred cities in India, Varanasi is considered to be the oldest living city in the world. After Buddha’s enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, the lord set to spread his preaching. In Sarnath, he met five of his old companions who became his first disciples with his first sermon.  Word spread all over the kingdom of Kashi and the city became the center of religious, educational, and artistic activities. To date, pilgrims make their way to the sacred land to be blessed by the divine powers.

Lord Buddha is said to have visited Mathura only once. It is believed he was not very impressed with the town then but Buddhism spread its roots and the town transformed into one of the important centers of Buddhist art. With the rise of Mahayana system of Buddhism from the 2nd century BC to the 12th century AD; during the Kushān and Gupta periods, the artists of Mathura showcased their wonderful talent in sculpting a great variety of images and icons.

The Gandhara artists of the Mathura school of art followed Indian traditions. They based their art on the material from the tales of Buddhist Jataka. The sculptures created by them comprised of the life-events of Gautama Buddha including his heavenly birth, renunciation of his royal life, enlightenment under the great Bodhi tree, sermons at various places, and in the end his Mahaparinirvana. The carvings also immortalized various mudras like the famous Abhaya-Mudra (pose of no-fear) of Buddha and Bodhisattva images.

The Kushana Empire during Buddha’s time was a prosperous era. The gifted sculptors are known as Salia-Rupakaras were supported with royal patronage. The craftsmen craved countless images of the Buddha on royal demand and also with trade with other countries. The artisans did not stop only with Buddhist images; they also were renowned for traditional Brahmanical faith and Jain divinities. The craftsmanship featured stone railings, female figures, and decorative stone panels with floral designs.

With the decline of the Kushana Empire and Buddhism, much of the art was lost. Few relics remain for the believers to awe at the marvelous specimens.

The historical connection of Champapuri with Buddhism is almost untraceable. It is believed that this is the farthest east in India that the Lord had visited. His visits are not extensively recorded but here he delivered numerous sermons on dhamma (dharma).

According to sources, at Champapuri the Buddha delivered sermons to many of his followers. The preachings include the Sonadanda Sutta, Kandaraka Sutta, and various other key discourses (lessons) of Buddhism. Many bhikkhus (monks) gathered here to be part of Buddha’s holy lessons. In Champapuri, Gautam Buddha’s favorite spot was the bank of lake Gaggara (the lake of thousands of beautiful lotuses) with a forest of campaka trees. He chose the tranquil setting to deliver sermons of dhamma (dharma). In the early 1900s while cleansing the lake some Buddha statues were unearthed. Not much is known about their origin but the relics are said to date back to the Buddha’s time.

Nalanda in its days of glory was the greatest learning center of the ancient world and a religious center that witnessed the development of Buddhism and its various forms along with Jainism. Lord Buddha and also the Jainism founder Mahavira are both said to have visited the place in their lifetimes. They preached their teachings to the monks and students of the university. The university flourished as an international center of learning under the patronage of Emperors Ashoka and Harshavardhana of the Gupta Empire, who built temples and monasteries here. 

It is believed that from the 5th century to the 12th Century BCE, almost for 800 years Nalanda flourished as a center of learning. Students from around the world, monks, travelers, and many scholars visited, stayed, and even found their salvation in the tranquil premises. 

Destroyed brutally by Muslim invaders in the 12th century, Nalanda’s bright burning light of excellence was diminished forever. According to sources, Nalanda housed such a large collection of books and manuscripts in its libraries that when it was destroyed and the literature burnt, the fire burnt for six months.

After attaining enlightenment at Bodh Gaya and becoming the Buddha, the lord traveled to Sarnath. Here he preached his first discourse, the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, the preaching of the ‘Wheel of Dharma’. In the lush environs of the Sarnath deer park, he preached his first sermon to the first of his five disciples. Sarnath finds mention among the four holy places of Buddhism and is also known as Isipatana. Here one can find the traces of Buddha’s beginning in sharing his enlightened knowledge. The Lord’s fellow monks became the first disciples as he met and taught them the Dharma for the first time. After attaining Enlightenment, he inaugurated the Sangha, or community of monks or enlightened ones. Following the Buddha, many kings, rulers, and later pilgrims flocked to the holy city.