If you live in Nagpur or are visiting, a very good idea for a road trip or a day picnic is the Dragon Palace Temple. A testimony to Indo-Japanese friendship, it was built in 1999 with funds from the Japan-based charitable organization – Ogawa Society.
The magnificent Buddhist shrine, built in Japanese style of architecture in an area of 10 acres, is a must-visit. A trip to this iconic temple is a spiritual, fun and educational trip for the entire family. From getting exposed to the different facets of Buddhism and beautiful landscaping to tickle your senses, this was a wonderful experience for my family.
We made it even more enriching by making a very important stop on the way – the Christ Church of Kamptee and the British graves dating back to the 1800s.
Our Plan for the Day
- Start from Nagpur – Nagpur-Jabalpur Road (NH 44)
- Make a stop at Kamptee T-point to see the Church and Graves (30 minutes drive from the city)
- Visit Dragon Palace Temple and spend time in the beautiful gardens (further 10 minutes from Christ Church)
- Stop at MHKS Highway Plaza for lunch (15 minutes from Dragon Palace)
- Drive back to Nagpur
Day Trip Google Map Link
If you want to follow our exact day trip, here is the Google map link for the directions from Nagpur (Zero Mile Stone) and back – https://goo.gl/maps/M9cJCQKkW1rjyLAs6
Quick history lesson – Kamptee is a suburb of Nagpur which came into existence in 1821 as a military cantonment during the British rule. The main road, which is a T-shaped road junction led to the original name CAMP-T. Later, in daily usage, it became Kamptee. The Kamptee cantonment still survives and houses the “Brigade of the Guards” regiment which was raised by Field Marshall Cariappa as the first multi-cultural regiment which had soldiers from all religions and different parts of India. Prior to this, army regiments consisted of soldiers from mainly one ethnicity like the Gurkha regiment, Rajputana regiment, Maratha regiment and so on.
First Stop – Christ Church and Cemetery, Kamptee
Christ Church, Kamptee
British graves from the 1800s at Christ Church Cemetery
If you are interested in visiting or knowing more about the church and the cemetery, please refer to my detailed post with more pics.
Visiting the Dragon Palace Temple
About 20 minutes from the Christ Church is the Dragon Palace Temple.
You will need to remove your shoes before entering the temple complex. Near the entrance, is a shoe stand where you can safely store your shoes for a nominal fee. The stone used for flooring inside the temple grounds is quite heat-resistant and you don’t feel the burning ground. Please note that we visited in October, before the onset of winter when it was still hot. BUT, I have no clue how it feels during the real, infamous Nagpur summer.
First Glimpse
Distinct impressions of the Japanese collaboration make it even more exotic
My ‘anime’ and ‘Manga’ loving kids trying to decipher the Japanese letters
Inside, it is sublime, yet magnificent. Group and solo meditation and education on Buddhism takes place here. We sat for several minutes, soaking in the tranquility, humbled by the large Buddha statue in the center. The big red box on the right is a donation box which is not compulsory but we were happy to be a part of the upkeep of this beautifully maintained place.
On the side steps leading to and from the main meditation hall in the previous picture
The temple architecture has these beautiful arches on all sides.
Once outside, we relaxed in the perfectly maintained lawns and admired the landscaping.
The gardens of Dragon Palace Temple have vast areas of grassy lawns lined with these trees.
Perfect for kids to run around and even play hide-and-seek, both of which activities my youngest two indulged in.
At about 4 pm, the air filled with Buddhist chants. ‘Buddham Sharanam Gachhami’ echoed around the place making the evening seem magical.
Beautiful Flora and Fauna in the gardens of Dragon Palace Temple
Final Stop – MHKS Highway Plaza
Our final stop, before we headed back to Nagpur, was the MHKS Highway Plaza. Famous for it’s sandwiches and ultra clean bathrooms, this is a favorite with travelers along the Nagpur-Jabalpur-Hyderabad road on National Highway 44 (previously NH7).
For more details and pictures from MHKS Highway Plaza, check out my post.
All the places are unique in their own. Seems to b a gud vacation spot
Kitni khubsurat n peaceful jagah hai, Flowers bhi bahut sarey hain
Mujhe bahut hi accga laga, let’s see ki kab trip lagta hai