Chronicle of Buddhist pilgrimage

The Bodhi Tree: Basked under spotlights, the Buddha attained enlightenment under this tree more than 2,500 years ago.

IN THE outskirts of Varanasi, India, a peculiar edifice stood 44 metres tall, jutting above a sea of trees.

That was what archaeologist Alexander Cunningham saw in 1833, which led him to one of the most important archaeological discoveries of the 19th century — the ancient city of Sarnath.