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Most holy centre for Buddhists.
Nearest Airport: Gaya- 5 Kms.
Railway Station: Gaya- 5 Kms.
Bodhgaya is one of the four main pilgrimage destinations of the Buddhists. The other three are Lumbini where Gautama Buddha was born, Sarnath where he gave his first sermon and Kushinagar where Buddha left his body. Bodhgaya is the place where Buddha attained enlightenment sitting under the holy Bodhi tree. Bodhgaya is visited by a huge number of devotees from all over the world.
Bodhgaya Pilgrimage Attractions:
Mahabodhini Temple: The temple is situated at the place where Buddha attained enlightenment. The previous temple was destroyed in the 11th century by the Muslims and hence the temple was re-established in the year 1880. The temple has a tower of 170 feet in other words 50 meters. However today also you will find some parts of the original temple which still exist.
In the interior of the temple there is a huge Buddha idol. In addition to this there is also a Shiva-Linga which was established approximately 860 years ago. The Hindus believe that Gautama Buddha is the ninth incarnation of Lord Vishnu and hence Bodhgaya is the pilgrimage destination for the Hindus also.
Bodhi Tree: The Bodhi tree which is present behind the temple is assumed to be the descendent of the original tree under which Lord Buddha attained enlightenment. This tree is around 115 years old and is 80 feet high. A red sandstone slab which is also called Vajrasana is present under the tree on which Buddha sat for meditation. Another interesting fact is that Emperor Ashoka's daughter had taken a sapling from the original Bodhi tree to Sri Lanka which is now flourishing in Anuradhapura.
Vajrasana: Vajrasana, also known as the diamond throne, is the stone platform on which Gautama Buddha sat in meditation and attained nirvana.
Chankaramana: This is the sacred spot of Buddha's meditative perambulations which took place in the third week after religious enlightenment.
Arimeshlochana: It is said that at this place Lord Buddha kept staring at the Mahabodhini Tree without blinking his eyes for one week.
Ratnagar: It is believed that Buddha spent a week meditating here and at that time five different colors came out of his body.
Other Places To Visit:
Lilanja which was earlier known as Niranjana is the river where Gautama Buddha took a bath after attaining salvation. The river is approximately 250 meters east of the Mahabodhi Temple.
A Shaivite monastery of the Mohanta's Monastery is situated next to the temple. Another interesting place to visit is the Tibetan Mahayana Monastery which was established in the year 1938. The Monastery consists of a huge wheel of law also known as the Dharma Chakra which is a 10m high metal drum and is painted in red and golden. It is believed that when you spin the wheel thrice in succession from left to right your sins will be washed away.
Bodhgaya Revitalization: Bodhgaya is being developed as an international Buddhist pilgrimage destination since the year 1953. Many other temples and shrines have been constructed near the Mahabodhi temple by Buddhists from Japan, Tibet, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Thailand. The best time to visit Bodhgaya is in the cooler months i.e. from December to March.
Travel Route: Bodhgaya is located just 12 km from Gaya. The other nearby places are Rajgir which is 66 km away and Patna 140 km away.
- Airway: Patna is the nearest airport which has well-connected flights to Lucknow, Ranchi, Mumbai, Calcutta, Delhi and Chennai.
- Railway: Gaya is the nearest station.
- Roadways: The main bus station is opposite to the Mahabodhi Temple. Many private bus and taxi services are easily available. The state transport bus service is also available to Patna, Gaya, Rajgir and Nalanda.
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