Between January 4 and 6, 2011, the Gyalwa Karmapa went on a pilgrimage, visiting the holy sites in the vicinity of Bodhgaya. The first destination on January 4 was a Mahakala Cave (Mahakala – lit.

Great Black One, a protector of the Buddha’s teaching) not far from Bodhgaya, associated with a sacred place known as Silwa Tsal (Cool Grove).

It is said that the Mahasiddha (great accomplished yogi) Shawaripa was meditating in this cave when the dharma protector Mahakala showed himself to him.

Silwa Tsal also refers to one of the famous Eight Great Charnel Grounds mentioned in the Buddhist scriptures. Gyalwa Karmapa also visited this charnel ground, which is located below the Mahakala Cave.

The next stops were the place where the Buddha practised austerities for six years prior to going to Bodhgaya and attaining enlightenment and the place where Sujata offered milk to the starving Prince Siddhartha. The tree under which this historic event took place still exists today.

That day’s pilgrimage ended at the Mahabodhi Stupa where Gyalwa Karmapa visited two special places: Atahasa to the north-east, with its ancient stone mandala, and Mujabindo Sarovar, a lake located in the south where, as the Buddha was sitting in meditation, the local nagas (water spirits) produced violent storms to create obstacles to his practice and realisation. However, the Buddha-to-be was saved by one of the Nagas, Mujabindo, after whom this lake is named.



Gyalwa Karmapa in front of the Mahabodhi Stupa



Having visited these places, Gyalwa Karmapa did circumambulations, followed by an increasingly large number of devotees. On the next day, Gyalwa Karmapa went to the city of Rajgir (Rajgriha - Palace of the King), and from there first up to Vulture Peak, where the Buddha taught the Prajnaparamita (Perfection of Wisdom) Sutra and a great number of Mahayana teachings, after having performed a great number of miracles in Shravasti.



The 17th Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje at the vulture peak



Next, it was the ropeway up to Ratnagiri (Jewel Mountain) where Nichidatsu Fujii (1885-1985), a Buddhist monk from Japan and founder of the Nipponzan-Myohoji Buddhist sect, established a peace pagoda. Nichidatsu Fujii set an example for world peace by establishing peace pagodas around the world, and one or these is the pagoda at Rajgir, known as Vishwa Shanti Stupa. The Buddha himself taught many Mahayana Sutras on Ratnagiri Mountain, including the famous Shalistamba Sutra.

From there Gyalwa Karmapa went down to the Hot Springs in Rajgir, located at the foot of a mountain called Vipulagiri (Abundant Mountain). This place is considered to be the holy place of one of the Sixteen Arhats. A great number of steps lead up from the hot springs to a cave known as Saptaparni Cave (Cave of Seven Leaves). There, two months after the Buddha’s Parinirvana (Passing into Nirvana), five hundred Arhats, led by Mahakashyapa, gathered to collect the teachings given by the Buddha, structuring them into the so-called Three Baskets (Vinaya, Sutra and Abidharma). This gathering is known today as the First Buddhist Council.

Nearby on the same mountain there is the place where the founder of the Jain religion remained in strict meditation for twelve years, developing radical renunciation for all worldly concerns, such as food, clothing, shelter and so on. Therefore, this place is also a very important pilgrimage sites for followers of Jainism. The next destination was the nearby Kashyap Cave, located at the base of the mountain, where many Arhats, including Mahakashyapa, spent extended periods of time in meditation. According to the Mahayana (Great Vehicle) tradition, it is said that Manjushri, Maitreya and Vajrapani gathered there with an assembly of 800,000 bodhisattvas, collecting all the teachings of the Mahayana. The morning of the third day was spent at the excavation site of the ancient university of Nalanda.