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Sixth century BC India was in a state of profound social and philosophical revolution. In the land watered by the Ganges, new monarchical states, such as Kosala and Magadha were expanding. While the cities of 6th century BC swarmed with shifting new populations, the roads were busy with the movement of religious wanderers and teachers. It was into this climate that Sidhartha Gautama, the Buddha-to-be, was born into the Shakya clan, whose capital was Kapilavastu, at the Lumbini Grove in the foothills of the Himalayas.
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Buddhism was a religion that was born in India but spread its wings all over the world. Being the country of Gautam Buddha, the Buddhist pilgrimage centers in India are the main attractions that attract devotees even from outside India. And why not! India was the center of Buddhist learning in the ancient times, and religious sites of those times have become the places of monumental importance today.
Bihar is one of the major states when it comes to Buddhist religious monument centres such as Bodh Gaya and temples like Bodhi and Maha Bodhi temple. Then there are monasteries such as Tabo and Namgyal in Himachal, which have a lot of Tibetan influence on them. Similarly, hilltop buddhist monasteries and a colourful way of life, completely at one with the surroundings, make Ladakh one of the best living traditions of Tibetan Buddhism in the world today.
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