The quest for the eternal truth by Prince Siddharta was fulfilled in this serene and quiet town and the saga of Lord Buddha began. He attained enlightenment under the peepal(fig) tree and changed into Buddha, means ‘The Enlightened One’. Thus, Buddhism was born under the ‘Peepal Tree’. The prince had been wandering in search of supreme peace for long six years hither and thither. But it was at Bodhgaya only where his holy mission was achieved.

Lying in sylvan solitude this sacred place is situated on the bank of river Niranjana (modern Falgu). It is 13 km from Gaya town. Gaya is an important center of ‘Hindu Pilgrimage’ where people got to offer ablation for the salvation of their dead forefather. In the recent years pilgrims abound in Bodhgaya, also many Buddhist masters from different countries traveling to Bodhgaya to turn the wheel of Dhrama. Dalai Lama, in the year 1974 empowered Kalachakra when more than 100,000 devotees attended the ceremony. The Tibetan monastery in Bodhgaya offers a two month meditation course every year fro the international Buddhist community. Occasionally, the teachings are given in the Burmese, Thai, Japanese and other temples.

Sights And Activities

The Bodhi Tree
It is assumed that present Bodhi tree is probably the fifth succession of the original tree under which the Buddha had attained enlightenment. The tree is a frequent destination for pilgrims and hold immense importance among the four holy sites for Buddhism. Other Bodhi trees that have importance are the Anandabodhi tree in Sravasti and the Bodhi tree in Anuradhapura. Both are said to have been spread from the original Bodhi tree.

Mahabodhi Temple
The Mahabodhi Temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which stands east to the Bodhi tree ( the side where Buddha sat for meditation). Its architectural effect is superb. Its basement is 48 square feet in the form of slender Pyramid, till it reaches its neck, which is cylindrical in shape. It is one of the largest Buddhist temples in the world that reaches upto 170 feet and on the temple are Chatras, which symbolize sovereignty of religion. Four towers on its four corners rise gracefully giving the holy structure a poise and balance. This sacred edifice is like a ground banner unfurled by time to proclaim to the world the pious efforts of the Buddha to solve the knots of human miseries to ascend above worldly problems and to attain transcendental peace through wisdom, good conduct and disciplined life. The entire courtyard of the temple is studded with a large number of varieties of stupas-votive,decorative, memorative. These stupas are of all sizes built during the past 2500 years ago. Inside the temple in the main santum, on an altar, is a colossal image of Buddha in a sitting posture touching the earth by his right hand.

Vajrasan
Vajrasan is the posture of stability. It is said Buddha was supposed to have say in meditation gazing east, under the Bodhi tree, where the Vajrasan , the stone platform is kept.

Ancient Railings
The ancient railings, which surround the temple are of first century BC and are very interesting monuments of the country.

Buddha Jayanti
Bodhgaya is the most sacred venue for the celebration of Buddha’s anniversary. Buddhists from all over the world converge here to offer prayers in a festive atmosphere.

Excursions

Rajgir
80 km from Bodhgaya is said to be one of the most ancient capitals of the world. Rajgir is also mentioned in epic poems of Mahabharata and Ramayana. It gained peak of glory in the 5th century AD. As many as ten thousand students and two thousand teachers were engaged in learning and teaching in this great residential University. The foreign scholars like Hieun Tsang and Fa-Hieun had given travel accounts.

Barabar Cave
It is located 41 km from Bodhgaya , these caves is an important archaeological site. The cave carved out from solid rocks bear details of the life of Buddha.

Pawanpuri
114 km from Bodhgaya, Pawanpuri or the sinless city is a great pilgrim center of the Jains. Lord Mahavir Teerthankar, the founder of Jainism had given his last sermon here and also cremated here. Two temples Jalamandir and Samosharan are the beautiful temples located here famous for beautiful architecture.