Buddha
Vihar
Buddhist Temple & Guesthouse
- local delicacies: petha and gajak; bedai and jalebi; singhara (water chestnuts);
- Longshree Juice Corner - fresh juice at a local juicery;
- Dasaprakash Restaurant - the best vegetarian South Indian food in Agra served in a romantic classical setting (within walking distance or a short rikshaw ride from the guesthouse);
- Zorba the Buddha - central Sadar Bazaar - vegetarian mixed cuisine;
- Vedic Vegetarian Restaurant, Cafe Sheroes Hangout, Tea'se Me, and more;
- have a birthday party in our garden (we require one week's notice);
- Hing ki Mandi - a spice market (called Achoo Market by the locals), around the corner from us;
- Subhash Bazar - buy clothes, saris, shawls, devotional trinkets (Lohar Gali street), marble decorative items (Chhipitola), stationery; discover lots of small temples and design places hidden in the market alleys; support a small Tibetan community selling their merchandise there;
- Sadar Bazaar - books, magazines, postcards, clothes, shoes, food, and currency exchange;
- Bijalighar Crossing - local sari and textile businesses; have an Indian kurta made by the local tailors (enquire at reception) and experience the madness of a local sari shop;
- Raja ki Mandi - a market near St John's College;
- Buddha Vihar - meditate, chant some OM or catch a lecture by our resident monk (in Hindi only);
- Shahjahan Garden - go there for a morning jog with peacocks, parrots and chipmunks;
- Agra Fort and market- around the corner from us;
- Ram Bagh - the oldest Mughal park, where you can relax by the river;
- Hanuman Temple - go there to pray, meditate or and watch skilled stone carvers at work (up the hill from us);
- the Wildlife SOS Sanctuaries near Keetham Lake - see some peacocks, birds, bears and elephants; get educated about animal protection projects in India;
- Sikandra at sunset - breathtaking architecture, tranquil romantic atmosphere, peacocks and grazing antelopes;
- Fatehpur Sikri - have a picnic or play some outdoor games;
- the white temple of Dayal Bagh - enjoy some peace and quiet (and possibly some free vegetarian food);
- the Taj Nature Walk - unique views of The Taj!
- take a train to the famous towns of Mathura (50 km - 1 hr) and Vrndavan (80 km - 2 hrs) - Lord Krishna's birthplace - to see some beautiful temples and to shop at the handicrafts market full of mischievous monkeys (be careful not to wear glasses or carry plastic bags - monkeys are expert thieves!);
- visit Bateshwar (75 km - 3 hrs), a quiet town with white temples on the banks of the river Yamuna;
- New Delhi (190 km - 3 hrs), the red city of Jaipur (230 km - 4 hrs by train or bus), Lucknow (300 km - 6 hrs by train), Khajuraho (440 km - 8 hrs by train) are all possible and attractive destinations for those travelling from Agra;
- venture out to our Buddhist Hermitage in Bihar and experience village life in the ancient city of Vaishali (1000 km - 18 hrs by train, bus and car), where you can find the best preserved Pillar of Ashoka, World Peace Pagoda, giant Peace Bell installed by Bhante Kaundinya, a stupa with Buddha's ashes, as well as Thai, Japanese and Jain monasteries. Historical Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) was a frequent visitor in Vaishali and he preached his last sermon there.
- travel to Sankisa Basatpur Village (130 km) to see Visahari Devi temple commemorating Buddha's visit, a shrine where Buddha's right foot first touched the ground, a deer park where Buddha preached a sermon;
We provide full assistance with train/bus ticket reservations.