In 528 BC Prince Siddhartha Gautama came here in search of truth. After seeing sorrow, misery, pain and death he decided to probe into their causes and find out means of overcoming their occurrences. He renounced the life of a prince and traveled from place to place until finally attaining enlightenment by meditation under the Bodhi Tree (peepul tree). It is also famous for its Mahabodhi Temple and is reckoned as the most important Buddhist pilgrimage centre
History :
Bodhgaya in the state of Bihar, Reckoned as the most important Buddhist pilgrimage centre, is the place where Lord Sakyamuni (Gautam Buddha) entered into meditation after being moved by the sufferings of mankind. The giant Bodhi Tree (Peepal) that we see today is believed to have grown from the original Bodhi Tree under which, sitting on the raised platform, Prince Siddharth meditated and finally attained Nirvana. then there is Chaukramana, the Jewel Walk, where it is believed that the Buddha strolled while in deep thought. The sagnificient Maha Bodhi temple in Bodhgaya is an architectural amalgamation of many cultures.
The temple bears the stamp of the architecture of the Gupta Dynasty and subsequent ages. On the walls of the temple, one sees Buddha carved in different aspects, and in the sanctum sanctorum, a colossal Buddha, is seen touching the ground, which has mythological significance in the Buddhist lores. The temple carries inscriptions recording the visits of pilgrims from Sri Lanka, China and Mayanmar in the 7th and 10th Centuries A.D. Hieun Tsang, the Chinese traveller, also visited the temple in the 7th Century.
Other cities of Bihar :
Patna,
Hazaribagh,
Gaya
How to get there :
By Air :
Patna is the nearest airport with regular flights to Delhi, Ranchi, Lucknow, Calcutta, Chennai, Mumbai. Calcutta, 482 km, has an international airport.
By Rail :
Gaya is the nearest railway station. Several super fast as well as express trains are available from Gaya. Gaya is on the main Delhi to Calcutta line and there are direct trains to Delhi, Calcutta, Varanasi, Puri and Patna.
By Road :
Bihar State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) has bus services to Gaya, Patna, Nalanda and Rajgir. The main bus stand is opposite the Mahabodhi Temple. Private buses and taxis are also easily available.
