Bodhgaya is regarded as one of the most holy Buddhist pilgrimage centers across the globe. This temple is constructed under a banyan tree, which is known as the Bodhi Tree. It is said that this is the place where Lord Gautama attained utmost knowledge and become Lord Buddha and was known as the Enlightened One.

Bodh Gaya is located in the state of Bihar in India. As the site of Lord Buddha Shakyamuni’s enlightenment, it is considered as the most revered of all sacred Buddhist sites in the world.

The main temple complex has a famous Mahabodhi Stupa. It also has a progeny of the main Bodhi Tree, sitting under which Lord Buddha gained enlightenment. The village has various temples and monasteries from different nations that have Buddhist tradition such as Thai, Tibet, Japan, etc.

Best Time to Visit

The best time to visit Bodhgaya is between October and March.

Things to See

Basically, Bodh Gaya is a pilgrimage destination for the Buddhists across the world and the popular tourist attractions in the village are related to this.

Mahabodhi Temple
Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya, Bihar
This temple is located in the eastern area of the huge Bodhi Tree. It has a superb architecture. The basement of is 48 sq ft and has a slight shape of a Pyramid. The temple is almost 170 feet tall and Chatras are placed at the pinnacle of the temple. The temple has a tower in all four corners, thus providing poise stability to the structure.

Bodhi Tree
Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya
The huge Bodhi Tree that you see today is the fifth succession of the original tree where Lord Gautama Buddha had attained enlightenment. You can also see a Vajrasana, which is believed to be the seat of stability. It is nothing more than a stone platform, where Lord Buddha is supposed to have sat in meditation. He used to sit under the tree and gaze in the east.

Animesh Lochan Chaitya
It is said that Lord Gautama Buddha had spent seven days at Animesh Lochan Chaitya. He sat there looking at the great Bodhi Tree out of gratitude, and didn’t even twinkle his eyes.

Chankramana
Chankramana symbolizes the holy spot of the meditative perambulations of Lord Buddha after pious enlightenment. It is said that wherever Lord Buddha would touch the ground with his feet a beautiful lotus would bloom.

Ratangarh
It is believed that Lord Buddha had spent seven days at Ratangarh. It is the place, where five colors were flowing from his body.

There are various other tourist attractions in Bodh Gaya. Few of the popular ones are 80 feet huge Statue of Lord Buddha, Buddha Kund, Lotus Tank, Rajayatana, Chinese Temple & Monastery, Brahmayoni Hill, Burmese Temple, International Buddhist House & Japanese Temple, Buddhist Monastery of Bhutan, Thai Temple & Monastery, Archaeological Museum & Tibetan Monastery.

Opening Timings

The Mahabodhi Temple is open from 5 am. to 9 pm., while the other monasteries are open from 5 am to noon and later from 2 p.m. to 6 pm.