SriLankan Airlines inaugurates flights to Bodh Gaya, India

SriLankan Airlines commences its maiden flight to Bodh Gaya in India on Tuesday November 12th, adding a second destination in one year, to its growing portfolio of flights to India.

Flight UL 195, an Airbus A320 aircraft, will depart Colombo every Tuesday at 1205 hours to arrive in Gaya at 1505 hours. The return flight UL 196 will depart Gaya at 1605 hours and arrive in Colombo (via Delhi) at 2315 hours.

The flight to Gaya will travel onto Delhi before returning to Colombo. Therefore while the onward flight from Colombo will travel non-stop to Gaya, the return flight will operate via Delhi.

SriLankan Airlines currently flies to six destinations in India - Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Trichy, Trivandrum, and the recently launched Bangalore.

The introduction of the weekly Colombo-Gaya-Delhi-Colombo flight is essentially targeted at the large and growing number of Buddhist pilgrims who visit the sites hallowed by the Buddha in this Eastern Indian state of Bihar.

The small town of Bodh Gaya, in Bihar's Gaya district, has attracted hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from all over the Buddhist world for centuries. This includes countries such as China, Tibet, Japan, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

Of the four most sacred sites associated with the Lord Buddha - Lumbini in Nepal where he was born, Bodh Gaya where he attained Enlightenment, Saranath where he preached his First Sermon, and Kushinagar where he passed away, - Bodh Gaya takes top billing as the most important and sacred Buddhist pilgrimage site in the world.

Situated on the banks of the river Niranjana, Bodh Gaya is a rich archaeological site and an important Buddhist centre. The focal points of veneration at Bodh Gaya are the Sacred Bo Tree, the adjacent Mahabodhi Temple and several other milestones in the Buddha's life and missionary work.

Situated at an altitude of 113 metres, Bodh Gaya attracts a greater number of devotees and pilgrims from October to March, usually considered the best season, with temperatures ranging from 04°C - 28°C in winter.

Sri Lankan pilgrims to Bodh Gaya annually number over 50,000 with figures steadily increasing each year. The current travel itinerary takes pilgrims by flight either to Madras or Delhi and then by surface transport to the different destinations required by the pilgrimage.

 Travel agents and pilgrims alike have warmly welcomed the Colombo-Gaya direct flights given the convenience of both speed and comfort it will provide passengers.

This is more so with Bodh Gaya pilgrims generally being in their middle ages and above.

Direct flights to Bodh Gaya will eliminate the comparatively uncomfortable road or rail journey.

The introduction of the weekly Colombo-Gaya haul also further consolidates the SriLankan Airlines network and its position in the sub continent, making it the operator outside India with the largest number of destinations within the country.

Soon after launching the Colombo-Gaya sector, SriLankan Airlines sets eyes on launching flights to Frankfurt (Germany) before the end of the year, and, Italy and China in 2003.