Lord Buddha was born in Kapilvastu of
Uttar
Pradesh. There are numerous sites in Uttar Pradesh that are
associated with Lord Buddha and Buddhism religion. In fact, Uttar
Pradesh along with modern Bihar formed the hub of early Buddhism. It was
from these parts that Buddhism spread to other parts of the World. Some
of the prominent Buddhist sites in Uttar Pradesh/UP are Sarnath,
Kausambi, Sravasti, Kushinagar and Mathura.
Kapilvastu
Kapilvastu is situated in Siddharthnagar district of Uttar Pradesh. It
lies at a distance of approximately 27 km to the south of Lumbini. Now
known as Piprahwa, it used to be the erstwhile capital of the Shakya
kingdom. Lord Buddha was born in Kapilvastu, as King Shuddhodhana of the
Shakya clan.
Kaushambi
The district of Kaushambi is situated in Uttar Pradesh. It was the
erstwhile capital of 'Vatsa Janpad', during the time of Buddha and came
under the reign of King Udyana. Kaushambi also holds the distinction of
serving as the host to Lord Buddha, in the 6th and 9th year after his
enlightenment.
Mathura
The city of Mathura is situated on the western bank of the river
Yamuna, in Uttar Pradesh. It lies at a distance of approximately 145 km
from Delhi, the capital of India, and 58 km from Agra, the city of Taj.
The city holds the distinction of being the birthplace of Lord Krishna,
a Hindu God. Along with being a major Hindu pilgrimage, Mathura is also
one of the prominent Buddhist sites in India.
Prabhosa
Prabhosa is situated in the state of Uttar Pradesh. It lies at a
distance of approximately one kilometer from the district of Kaushambi
in India. In the ancient times, this place was known as Mankula. The
significance of Prabhosa is that it served as the venue of the 6th rain
retreat of Lord Buddha.
Sravasti
Sravasti is situated in the Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh. It was the
erstwhile capital of the ancient kingdom of Kosala Mahajanapada. It is
believed that Sravasti, also known as Sahet-Mahet, was founded by the
legendary king Sravast. This place is important from Buddhism point of
view because Lord Buddha performed a number of miracles here.
