Bodh Gaya (once Uruvela village) is the place where, 2500 years ago, in the 6th century BC, a young ascetic, Siddhartha, attained enlightenment to become the Buddha, and founded Buddhism, one of the world's oldest religions. Born into the ruling family of the Sakyas, Siddhartha had renounced his royal heritage, and since then had faced many hardships in his search for Truth. He came to Bodh Gaya looking for a quiet retreat where he could meditate upon the causes for human suffering.

Siddhartha spread Kusha grass beneath the Bodhi or Bo tree (Pipal tree, botanical name Ficus religiosia) and sat cross-legged facing the east with a vow to get up only if he attained supreme knowledge. For 7 weeks, Mara, the temptor, assaulted him with his weapons of flood, fire, thunder and lightening. Then Mara's three beautiful daughters tried to allure him, but in vain. Siddhartha entered deeper states of contemplation. His quest finally ended at dawn on Vaisakha Poornima, the full moon day in April-May, when the kind daughter of the village chief of Senani, Sujata, brought him a bowl of kheer (sweet thickened milk). It is said that the gods had infused the kheer with ambrosia. Siddhartha attained Samma Sambodhi, the Enlightenment that he had been seeking for so long. He was no more a seeker … he had become the Buddha.

As the place of the Buddha's Enlightenment, Bodh Gaya is the spiritual home of Buddhists. Located in Bihar, 115kms from Patna, the land is rich and fertile, dotted with green fields and watered by the river Phalgu - the same ancient Nairanjana river where the Buddha bathed after attaining enlightenment. A range of low forested hills silhouette the small hamlets flanking the glistening, sandy banks of the river. Monks and nuns rub shoulders with tourists and believers from all over the world. An all-pervading calm envelops the town, giving visitors a sense of peace.

The Mahabodhi Temple Complex houses all the major pilgrimage spots. A flight of steps leads to the inner courtyard through a beautifully craved granite torana (gateway). A large circular stone with the Buddha's footprints is kept in a small shrine on the left. Seven spots within the complex precincts are specially sacred because it was at these spots that the Buddha spent a week each, meditating, after his Enlightenment.

Mahabodhi Mahavihara
The famous Mahabodhi temple which stands in the centre of the Mahabodhi Temple Complex, has been restored and rebuilt over the centuries. Set among verdant lawns, this giant pyramidal sandstone structure soars to a height of 54 meters and is visible for miles around. The walls are carved with various aspects of Buddhism. The sanctum sanctorum has a colossal golden Buddha.

A chamber at the top houses a figure of Mayadevi, the Buddha's mother. An ancient stone railing surrounds the temple on three sides. The railing dates to 100 BC and is the oldest of the excavated evidence in Bodhgaya. The temple is said to stand at the site of the original 3rd century BC temple built by the Mauryan Emperor, Ashoka. The temple was rebuilt in 7th century AD by the Pala kings of Bengal. Hiuen Tsang, the Chinese scholar pilgrim, refers to having seen it. Destroyed by Muslim invaders in the 12th century,the temple was restored by The Burmese kings in the 14th century, flooded and buried under silt till the 19th century. Excavations around the present temple have revealed foundations of a small vihara called the Prachin Vajrasan Gandhkuti Vihara.

The Bodhi tree
The Buddha spent the first week after his enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, towards the left in the Mahabodhi Temple complex. It is believed that the original tree sprang up the day the Buddha was born. The tree was destroyed and replanted at least five times. The present tree grew from a sapling brought from the tree in Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka, which had been planted by Emperor Ashoka's son, Mahendra, in 3rd century BC.

The holy tree, which is surrounded by small beautifully carved votive stupas and chaityas, forms a canopy over the seven sacred shrines. People pray, meditate and prostrate before the Bodhi tree, making a wish or in thanks giving. Under the tree is the Vajrasana (diamond throne), a rectangular slab of polished red sandstone, covered with a gold canopy. This is kept at the exact spot where Buddha is believed to have been sitting when he attained enlightenment. Animeshlochana Chaitya
Buddha spent the second week after enlightenment at the Animeshlochana Chaitya (temple), from where he gazed at the Bodhi tree without blinking (animesha).

Ratnachankrama or Jewel Walk
This is where the Buddha spent the third week after enlightenment, walking between the Bodhi tree and the Animeshlochana Chaitya. Where the Master's feet rested, lotus flowers sprang up.

Ratanaghara Chaitya
Buddha spent the fourth week after enlightenment in the Ratnaghara Chaitya where he reflected on the higher modes of exposition, Abhidharma Nyaya. Blue, yellow, red, white and orange rays emanated from the Master's body as he meditated. The Buddhist flag therefore uses these colours.

Muchhalinda Pond
The Buddha spent the sixth week after enlightenment at this pond on the southern side of the temple.

Bodh Gaya Museum
Run by the Archaeological Survey of India, this is located near the Mahabodhi temple. It houses antiquities excavated in and around Bodh Gaya. It has a large collection of Buddhist and Hindu relics, terracotta seals, scriptures and railings/pillars from the Sunga period (1 BC to 1 AD).It is open from 9 am to 4.30 pm, closed on Fridays, and there is an entry fee of Rs 2.

Monasteries
Bodh Gaya is quite an international town. Over the years Buddhists of different countries (Burma or Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Japan, Tibet, China, Thailand, Bhutan) have built temples, stupas, monasteries, guest houses, and meditation centres in their own particular architectural styles. These are decorated with colourful images and Buddhist symbols. Many of them date back to the 8th to 12th century.

Monasteries are open from 7 am to 12 pm, and 2 pm to 5 pm. Tibetan Monastery
Across the road from the Mahabodhi temple is the Mahabodhi Society of India and the old Tibetan monastery. The first floor of the monastery houses a figure of the Maitreya Buddha (future Buddha) and is decorated with Tibetan scriptures, tangkhas and other religious objects. A room downstairs has a massive dharmachakra (wheel of law) weighing over 20 tonnes.

Festivals
Buddha Jayanti, which falls on the full moon night in the month of Vaisakha, (either in April or May), commemorates the birth anniversary of Lord Buddha. Not withstanding the summer heat (the temperature routinely touches 45 degrees C), pilgrims come from all over the world to Bodh Gaya to attend the celebrations. The day is marked with prayer meets, sermons on the life of Gautam Buddha, religious discourses, continuous recitation of Buddhist scriptures, group meditation, processions, worship of the statue of Buddha and symposia.

The Mahabodhi Temple wears a festive look and is decorated with colourful flags and flowers. Other important occasions are the birth anniversary of Anagrika Dharmapala, 17th September, the birth and death anniversaries of Babasaheb Ambedkar, 14th April and 6th December, and Hiroshima Day on 6th August.

The Kalachakra ceremony is held for about ten days each year and presided over by his Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama, the spiritual and temporal head of Tibetan Buddhists. It is believed that if one attends this ceremony at least once in a lifetime one will attain salvation. Since 1994 the American branch of the Tibetan Nyingmapa sect holds a peace ceremony with a view to promoting peace and good will among mankind.

Excursions
15 kms away, in Gaya, is the Vishnupad Mandir. Situated on the banks of river Phalgu, the temple was built by Rani Ahalya Bai Holkar of Indore in 1787. It houses the footprints of Lord Vishnu engraved in solid rock. Hindu pilgrims come here to perform the last rites of their dead ancestors.

Brahmayoni Hill or Gayasirsa is 1 km away, to the southwest of Gaya. Here in the pragbodhi caves Prince Siddhartha practiced severe austerities. He later returned to preach the Fire Sermon which extols celibacy and a lust free life. Barabar is 42 kms from Gaya and 12 kms east of Bela railway station on the Patna-Gaya highway. It is famous for its seven rock-cut caves, in addition to the three in the nearby Nagajuna hills belonging to the Mauryan period and dedicated to the Ajivika sect. These ancient caves are hewn out of single granite rocks. Some chambers have exquisitely polished interiors. Barabar is remarkable for its sheer panoramic grandeur, rugged landscape and serene charm.Several Hindu temples are also located in and around the complex. Many of them have Buddha statues, which are revered as Hindu deities. Here Buddha is worshiped as the ninth incarnation of Vishnu.