Spiritual appeal: India transforms tourism landscape to woo travellers
India improves infrastructure and develops key pilgrimage, cultural and heritage sites
AN estimated 400 million pilgrims are expected to gather in the northern city of Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh for the Maha Kumbh Mela, a cultural festival which began on Jan 13 and will run till Feb 26. The festival, which takes place once every 12 years, is said to be the world’s largest human gathering.
Spiritual tourism in India is a growing market, driven mainly by domestic tourists. With India, being the birthplace of several religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, the government is diversifying its efforts to attract tourists travelling for a spiritual purpose. It has launched a concerted effort to drive both domestic and international tourism to India’s wealth of cultural and heritage sites, including those that hold religious significance.
Infrastructure upgrade
Infrastructure development is essential to provide more convenient access to these tourist sites.
One policy enabling this is the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (Prashad) scheme, which seeks to enhance religious tourism experience by developing and identifying pilgrimage sites across India.
So far, 29 sites have been identified for development and 48 infrastructure projects at various temples to develop amenities and facilities.
Another, the Swadesh Darshan scheme launched in 2014 provides financial assistance to Indian states to develop tourism infrastructure. From its launch to 2018-19, 75 projects have been completed. Its second edition, called the Swadesh Darshan 2.0, has been revamped with a broader objective to develop sustainable and responsible tourism destinations. A total of 34 projects, ranging from spiritual-based experiences to ecological and cultural attractions have been identified for development.
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With India having the fourth largest rail network in the world, train travel is a crucial mode of transport to connect vast geographical regions. The Ministry of Railways has launched the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme for this purpose, and railway upgrades are ongoing.
Taking a continuous long term approach, the scheme aims to improve amenities at stations, including station access, waiting halls, toilets, lifts or escalators, platforms, cleanliness, free Wi-Fi, kiosks for local products, better passenger information systems, executive lounges, and even nominated spaces for business meetings.
Improving building access by better integrating the station with both sides of the cities and sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions such as ballastless tracks are also being looked at based on necessity and feasibility.
A new airport, Kushinagar International Airport, was inaugurated in 2021 to facilitate international passengers to the Uttar Pradesh region, where many heritage sites are located.
Skills development
Beyond improving just the physical aspects, the government has also invested in skills development of its people to have a pool of trained locals in the tourism industry.
Under the Capacity Building for Service Providers (CBSP) scheme, those employed in the tourism sector can undertake training programmes designed for capacity building, re-skilling or entrepreneurship. Since its launch in 2021, around 21,000 to 22,000 people have been trained. Estimated figures for 2024 have exceeded 30,230.
An Incredible India Tourist Facilitator (IITF) Certification Programme was also launched to train individuals to become certified tourist facilitators by the Ministry of Tourism, while some 1,000 people have been trained in various languages including Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese and Chinese during the period between 2018 and 2023 to cater to tourists.
Shining a spotlight on Buddhism
A particular focus of the government is on Buddhist tourism. Efforts have been ongoing since 2021 when the Ministry of Tourism launched the promotion of Buddhist circuits, which cover prominent Buddhist sites across Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.
A key project is the Buddhist Circuit Tourist Train, an eight-day train trip launched in 2023, to provide a comfortable and convenient way to access sacred sites around India.
An initiative by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation, the journey starts from New Delhi’s Safdarjung Railway station, and passes through Bodh Gaya, Rajgir, Nalanda, Varanasi, Sarnath, Lumbini, Kushinagar, Sravasti, and Agra before returning to its origin station.
Last year, India’s Ministry of Minority Affairs laid the foundation stone for 38 projects worth 225 crore rupees (approximately S$35.6 million) for development under the Buddhism Development Plan. These include support to academic institutions for research and preservation of Buddhist cultural heritage and knowledge.
The ministry also approved infrastructure support for the Central Institute of Himalayan Culture Studies in the north-east Arunachal Pradesh to establish it as a central hub for Buddhist culture and its promotion.
Meanwhile, the state of Uttar Pradesh is enhancing its tourism infrastructure, improving access to hygienic facilities and building modern roadside amenities along major highways and district roads.
As a popular destination for religious tourism among both international and domestic tourists, the state is developing pilgrimage destinations, including six major Buddhist circuits.
It aims to attract investments to develop hotels and resorts, convention centres, theme parks, museums and meditation centres along the circuit routes.
Buddhist heritage sites in India
• Bodh Gaya, Bihar
The city where Buddha was said to have gained enlightenment is considered one of the holiest places for Buddhists, and a popular first stop for those on a Buddhist pilgrimage of India.
Dominating the landscape is the Mahabodhi Temple with its soaring pyramidal spire. Built in the 3rd century BC by Emperor Ashoka, it is one of the earliest Buddhist temples still standing that was built entirely in brick. The centrepiece is a grand golden 8 m-tall statue of Buddha, which is believed to be about 1,700 years old.
There are also other temples in Bodh Gaya, including a Chinese, Japanese and Burmese temple, each with their own distinctive styles of architecture.
For a deeper insight into the history of Buddhism, the Bodh Gaya Archaeological Museum houses a treasure trove of Buddhist sculptures, from the first century to the 11th century.
• Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh
Another important spot for Buddhists as it was where Buddha gave his first sermon. The Deer Park is a lush green space with small hill tops, surrounded by the majestic ruins of many stupas (Buddhist dome-shaped shrines) and chaityas (sacred assembly halls). The Chaukhandi Stupa, on a high mound, is one of the first sights one sees in Sarnath.
The famed Ashoka Pillar, built by Emperor Ashoka, is a significant symbol of his embrace of Buddhism and reflects the preservation of Buddhist culture and heritage.
The four lion heads on top of the pillar called the Lion Capital are on display in the Sarnath Museum. The profile of the Lion Capital showing three lions mounted on the abacus with a Dharma Chakra in the centre, a bull on the right and a galloping horse on the left, and outlines of Dharma Chakras on the extreme right and left were adopted as the state emblem of India. The museum also houses a wealth of Buddhist sculptures, inscriptions, manuscripts from the third century BC to the 12th century AD.
Sarnath is also home to various Buddhist monasteries from other countries such as Thailand, China, South Korea, Myanmar and Japan, making it a haven for architecture enthusiasts.
• Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh
The Mahaparinirvana Temple is the most important monument here, with a 6 m-long statue of the Buddha reclining.
Outside the temple is a small Mathakuar shrine, with a black stone image of Buddha in a pose which represents the moment he gained enlightenment.
• Sravasti, Uttar Pradesh
Here, the lush Jetavana Gardens attracts many pilgrims today as the temple on site is said to be one of the places where the Buddha stayed.
The city is also replete with antique stupas, monasteries and temples.
• Rajgir, Bihar
The most striking attraction is Gridhakuta Hill, also known as Vulture Peak, named for its distinctive rock formation resembling a vulture’s beak. Its significance to pilgrims lies in the fact that it was the site where the Buddha delivered many of his teachings.
Rajgir is also home to the healing hot sulphur springs of Satadhara, which are now integrated into the Lakshminarayana Temple complex. Other notable attractions in Rajgir include an aerial ropeway that transports visitors to the top of the hill, which offers views of the stunning Vishwa Shanti Stupa, as well as the Pippala Caves and the seven Sataparni Caves, believed to be the location of the first Buddhist Council.
• Vaishali, Bihar
Thought to be one of the first republican states in the world, Vaishali is home to the Buddha Stupa 2, an impressive complex with a large monastery, extensive courtyard and open verandah.
It was also where women were first ordained into the Buddhist order.
• Nalanda, Bihar
The world-renowned university town of Nalanda is home to the first residential educational institution in the world, which had as many as nine million books, 10,000 students and 2,000 teachers. It was renowned for its modern system of education including debate and public speaking, and produced many reputable Indian scholars.
The Nalanda Mahavihara is a Unesco World Heritage site where one of the largest and longest-lasting religious and scholastic remains of the period have been found. These include archaeological remains of stupas, shrines, viharas (residential and educational buildings) and important art works in stucco, stone and metal.
Today, the Nalanda Museum houses many of the artefacts unearthed at the site.
• Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh
Another Unesco World Heritage site, Sanchi is best known for a spectacular stupa, which is considered the most complete example of early Buddhist architecture. The Great Stupa of Sanchi dates back to the third century BC; and depictions of Buddha are shown through a series of symbols, instead of a figure, reflecting the technique of the period.
According to Unesco, Sanchi is the oldest Buddhist sanctuary in existence, and was a major Buddhist centre in India until the 12th century.
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