Sep 15, 2015 11:52 AM
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A township on the banks of the River Niranjana (also called the Falgu), Bodhgaya is revered by Buddhists across the world as the place where the Lord Buddha meditated, preached and attained enlightenment.
The religious centre of Bodhgaya- and the axis mundi for Buddhism- is the Bodhi Tree, a fig tree descended from the original tree under which Lord Sakyamuni meditated and finally attained enlightenment, becoming the Buddha. Below the tree is a platform on which the footprints of the Buddha have been carved in stone; near it is a slab of red sandstone, called the Vajrasan, which marks the spot where he sat in meditation. Travel to Bodhgaya and explore the religious sanctity of this place.
You can get a bus from Varanasi (in UP), from Patna, Gaya or any of the larger cities in Bihar. Patna is the nearest airport and has flights coming in from most major airports in India, including Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow, Ranchi and Kolkata and by train Bodhgaya is 100 km from Patna, the state capital of Bihar, and about 15 km from Gaya. Gaya has its own rail station, with train connections to a number of destinations across India. It is possible to visit Bodhgaya at any time of the year.
The best time, however, is between October and March, when the weather’s at its best. January and February, in particular, are a good time to visit Bodhgaya, as the meditation and theological institutes in the town hold special religious discourses and conventions.The Mahabodhi temple is open to visitors every day from 6 am to noon and from 2 pm to 6.30 pm. Bodhgaya is a spiritual town and every corner you turn here exudes a serene calm air. Naturally the things to do here revolve around the Buddha and his teachings. A visit to the Mahabodhi temple is definitely going to be on your must visit list as is the Bodhi tree under which the Buddha sat and attained nirvana
