Vulture Peak, Rajgir

The Vulture Peak, also known as the Holy Eagle Peak or Gadhrakuta, was the Buddha's favorite retreat in Rajagaha (now Rajgir) and the scene for many of his discourses. Rajgir is located in Bihar, India. It is so named because it resembles a sitting vulture with its wings folded.

Vulture Peak Mountain is, by tradition, one of several sites frequented by the Buddha and his community of disciples for both training and retreat. Its location is frequently mentioned in Buddhist texts in the Pāli Canon of Theravada Buddhism and in the Mahayana sutras as the place where the Buddha gave certain sermons. Among the sermons are the Heart Sutra, the Lotus Sutra and the Surangama Samadhi Sutra as well as many prajnaparamita sutras. It is explicitly mentioned in the Lotus Sutra, chapter 16, as the Buddha's pure land.

Vishwa Shanti Stupa (English: World Peace Stupa; in Wardha district, Maharashtra, near Gitai Mandir, is a large stupa of white color. Statues of the Buddha are mounted on stupa in four directions. It also has a small Japanese Buddhist temple with a large park. There is a temple near the stupa where prayers are done for universal peace. The initial pagoda reached completion in 1969. New initiatives in 1993 resulted in the present form. It is one of around 80 Peace Pagodas which have been built around the world by the neo-Buddhist organisation Nipponzan Myohoji. These were a dream of Fujii Nichidatsu, inspired by Mohandas K. Gandhi, as a reaction to the atomic bombing of Japan, the first, and more well known Vishwa Shanti stupa, being built on Ratnagiri Hill in Rajgir.

The four statues on four corner-sides of stupa depict the four phases of life of Buddha. These statues depicting, birth, enlightenment, teaching and passing away of Buddha are symbolical of Buddha’s teachings and transient life.

Overall view of the Rope Way.
The Rope Way climbs Vulture Peak Mountain to the World Peace Stupa (Vishwa Shanti Stupa). The orientation is from south (right) to north (left).

Climbing onto the Chairlift single chair.
An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs.

Climbing Rajgir Hills.
The Rajgir Hills, also known as "Rajgriha" hills, lie near the city of Rajgir in central regions of the Indian state of Bihar. It is surrounded by five hills named Ratnagiri, Vipulachal, Vaibhavagiri, Songiri and Udaygiri. It is an important Buddhist, Hindu and Jain pilgrimage site.

The hills consist of two parallel ridges extending around 65 km. At their highest point, the hills rise to an altitude of 388 meters, but most of the hills are around 300 meters high. Between these two ridges lie a number of places of historical importance, dating from the period of the Mahabharata, Shraman Bhagwan Mahavira, Gautam Buddha, Mauryas and the Guptas.
The hills are sacred in both Buddhism and Jainism because of their association with the religions' respective founders, the historical Shraman Bhagwan Mahavira and Gautama Buddha. Therefore, the hills have often been the destination of religious pilgrimage for Jains and Hindus alike. There are multiple tourist spots spread around rajgir hills.
In modern day, visitors can follow a ropeway to the top of the hill to visit the Buddhist Shrine, Peace Pagoda, near where the Buddha is believed to have preached the Lotus Sutra. On the descent, viewers can see the Vulture's Peak (Gridhra-kuta), where Buddha was said to have rested after the day's preaching.
See more at Rajgir Hills - Wikipedia.

World Peace Stupa Gate (Vishwa Shanti Stupa).
Just beyond the gate are two stone lanterns, one on each side of the path.

Stone lantern.
Stone lanterns (Chinese: denglong; Japanese: toro, meaning 'light basket', 'light tower') are a type of traditional East Asian lantern made of stone, wood, or metal. Originating in China, stone lanterns spread to Japan, Korea and Vietnam, though they are most commonly found in both China – extant in Buddhist temples and traditional Chinese gardens – and Japan.

Toro can be classified in two main types: tsuri-doro (lit. 'hanging lamp'), which usually hang from the eaves of a roof, and dai-doro (lit. 'platform lamp'), used in gardens and along the approach (sando) of a shrine or temple.
In its complete, original form, the dai-doro represents the five elements of Buddhist cosmology.
The bottom-most piece, touching the ground, represents chi, the earth; the next section represents sui, or water; ka or fire, is represented by the section encasing the lantern's light or flame, while fu (air) and ku (void or spirit) are represented by the last two sections, top-most and pointing towards the sky.
The segments express the idea that after death a person's physical body will go back to their original, elemental form.

Monkeys abound in the area.

World Peace Stupa seen from west.
Buddha Preaching his First Sermon. Replica of the Sarnath Buddha.

The image is sometimes referred to as simply as the Sarnath Buddha. This is one of the most reproduced Buddha images.
See more at Buddha Preaching his First Sermon (Sarnath), Replicas of the Sarnath Buddha - Wikipedia.

World Peace Stupa seen from southwest.
Located on about the top of 400 m high Ratnagiri Hills in the lush-green valley of Rajgir, the white stupa stands 36.5 m (120 ft) tall with a total diameter of 31 m (103 ft).

World Peace Stupa seen from south.
Buddha in Anjali Mudra.

The gesture is used for both greetings and farewells but carries a deeper significance than a simple "hello" or "goodbye".
The joining together of the palms is said to provide a connection between the right and left hemispheres of the brain and represents unification. This yoking is symbolic of the practitioner's connection with the divine in all things.
See more at Añjali Mudrā - Wikipedia.

World Peace Stupa seen from east.
Buddha Statue as a kid. The Buddha as a child with the Dharma wheel.

In Buddhism, the Dharma Wheel (Dharmachakra) is widely used to represent the Buddha's Dharma (Buddha's teaching and the universal moral order), Gautama Buddha himself and the walking of the path to enlightenment, since the time of Early Buddhism.
The symbol is also sometimes connected to the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path and Dependent Origination.
See more at Dharmachakra, Buddhist usage and significance - Wikipedia.

World Peace Stupa seen from north.
Reclining Buddha.

A reclining Buddha is an image that represents Buddha lying down and is a major iconographic theme in Buddhist art. It represents the historical Buddha during his last illness, about to enter the parinirvana. He is lying on his right side, his head resting on a cushion or relying on his right elbow, supporting his head with his hand.
See more at Reclining Buddha - Wikipedia.