Mahabodhi Temple Bodh Gaya
UNESCO World Heritage site marking the spot where Prince Siddhartha attained Buddhahood under the Bodhi tree.
About this yatra
The Mahabodhi Mahavihara at Bodh Gaya enshrines the most sacred site in the Buddhist world: the very spot beneath the Bodhi tree where Prince Siddhartha Gautama attained supreme enlightenment in the sixth century BCE and became the Buddha. The present temple, a 55-metre pyramidal sikhara of brick and stucco, was first built by Emperor Ashoka in the third century BCE and rebuilt in its current form during the Gupta period, making it one of the earliest fully developed Buddhist temples to survive in India and a direct architectural ancestor of pagodas across Asia. Inside the sanctum sits a gilded Buddha image in the bhumisparsha mudra, the earth-touching gesture marking the moment of enlightenment, and behind the temple stands a descendant of the original Bodhi tree under which pilgrims from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Tibet, Japan and the Indian Buddhist sangha meditate in silent rows. The surrounding sacred precinct includes the Animeshlochan Chaitya, the Ratnagara, the Chankramana cloister walk where the Buddha paced for seven days, and the lotus pond, all marking the seven weeks the Buddha spent in meditation after enlightenment. Our package includes pickup at Gaya airport, four nights in a heritage hotel, dawn meditation sessions inside the Mahabodhi precinct, a guided heritage walk with a Buddhist scholar, an excursion to nearby Rajgir and Nalanda University ruins, vegetarian prasadam, all temple entry and camera fees, transport in air-conditioned vehicles, bottled water, and a pilgrim handbook with the Heart Sutra and key suttas in Pali, Sanskrit and English.
Best time to visit
October to March for cool weather; Buddha Purnima in April-May; Kalachakra teachings in December-January when the Dalai Lama often visits
How to reach
Fly to Gaya (GAY) 12 km direct or Patna (PAT) 110 km; nearest railhead Gaya Junction 13 km on the Delhi-Howrah main line; regular buses from Patna, Varanasi and Kolkata
What to expect
Mahabodhi sikhara temple, Bodhi tree meditation, gilded Buddha sanctum, seven sacred sites, international monasteries, Nalanda and Rajgir excursion, multilingual sangha