The four most holy places associated with the Buddha are Lumbini, his birthplace, in Nepal; Sarnath, near Varanasi, where he preached his first message; Kushinagar, near Gorakhpur, where he died; and Bodhgaya, where he attained enlightenment. Bodhgaya is the most important Buddhist pilgrimage site in the world. Apart from being a significant archaeological site, it is also a vital Buddhist centre. 

Bodhgaya is in the northern Indian state of Bihar. At the Buddha's time the town was named Uruvela.  The name Bodh Gaya is of recent origin, dating from about the 18th century. King Asoka is credited with building the first temple at Bodh Gaya in the 2nd century BC. In either the 4th or 5th century the present Mahabodhi temple was built replace it. The site of a great monastic university, Bodh Gaya was the premier centre for the study of the early Buddhist schools in India for 700 years. Its most famous and enduring institution was the huge monastery built by the King of Sri Lanka in the 4th century which continued to function right up to the 13th century. 

Bodh Gaya became very early and remains even today the most important place of Buddhist pilgrimage. When it was abandoned in the 14th century its temples, shrines and monasteries fell into ruin and only began to be revived from the beginning of this century. 

Bodh Gaya’s main attraction is the Mahabodhi Temple, featuring a 150 foot high pyramid spire on site of Siddhartha’s orignial Bodhi Tree, along with a golden image of the Buddha. Impressive, indeed, and yet this 1,000-year-old shrine had to be rescued from neglect and even oblivion by a Hindu leader, given Buddhism's decline in India over the past couple centuries. 

Today most Buddhist countries have temples there and the place is visited by thousands of pilgrims and tourists every year.  Bodh Gaya lies about 65 miles south of Bihar's capital of Patna, and 7 miles from the city of Gaya. 

What to See

The focal point of Bodhgaya is the Mahabodhi Temple. A 50 metre high pyramidal spire crowns the Mahabodhi temple, inside which, is a large gilded image of the Buddha. The temple is believed to be standing on the site of a shrine, erected by Ashoka in the 3rd century B.C. Although the current temple was restored in the 11th century, and again in 1882, it is said to be the same as the one standing here since the 7th century. The Bo tree growing here is believed to be the direct descendant of the original tree, under which the Buddha sat, meditated and attained enlightenment. A sapling from the original tree, was taken to Sri Lanka by Sanghamitra (Emperor Ashoka's daughter), when Ashoka took Buddhism to the island. The tree now flourishes in Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka. A cutting of this tree was brought back to Bodhgaya, when the original tree here died. A red sand stone under the tree is said to be the Vajrasan, or diamond throne, one which the Buddha sat on. 

Most countries with a large Buddhist population have a temple or a monastery here, usually built in a representative architectural style. 

The archaeological museum houses a small collection of Buddha figurines, and pillars that were discovered in the area. The Hindu Shankaracharya Math has a temple here, and across the river are the Dungeshwari and Suraya temples. 

When to Visit

The best time to visit is during the winter months. 

Where to Stay

Accommodation is available in various hotels, dormitories, monasteries and guest houses in this area. The ITDC Hotel Bodhgaya Ashok has been renovated, and has single and double rooms available.