Bodhgaya Bihar – Buddhism in India

Bodhgaya Bihar – Buddhism in India

BODHGAYA BIHAR – A Buddhist temple signifying Buddhism in India

ABOUT 

Bodhgaya is an important Buddhist destination in India. Its landmark is the “Bodhi Tree” in Bodhgaya’s “Mahabodhi temple”. It is thronged by Buddhists from all over the world. It is commonly believed that Lord Buddha meditated under the same Bodhi tree. To add the respect it is called as “Sri” Mahabodhi tree. It is a fig tree which is very sacred which is considered a direct descendant of the original tree.

MAP TO REACH BODHGAYA FROM PATNA

Bodhgaya is in Eastern India in the district called as Bihar. The capital city of Bihar is Patna. We reached Patna from New Delhi and planned a road trip from Patna to Bodhgaya. The duration was approximately four hours.

 

 

WHAT I WENT FOR

Bodhgaya is one of the most revered places in the world one of the “most important” Buddhist destination in the world.

Last year I visited a beautiful country Sri Lanka and really enjoyed a lot. When I was returning back to India I saw so many pilgrims dressed up in white ready to go to India and visit this destination Bodh Gaya.  In Sri Lanka when anyone knew we were from India they asked us a question if we have visited Bodhgaya and how lucky we are if we have done that. Being asked this question I realized I must plan my visit to Bodhgaya soon.

Though I have traveled to so many exotic destinations around the world, this one time I was wondering that why I have not been so lucky to have visited this spiritual place of Bodhgaya. It was then that I decided there that my next destination will be Bodh Gaya.

WHAT I DISCOVERED

Gautam Buddha is the main figure of Buddhism as an enlightened God. Buddha’s teachings are famous around the world. He has many followers.

Bodhgaya is a pilgrimage and a religious destination with the Mahabodhi temple complex. It is in the Eastern Indian state called as Bihar and Gaya is the district. It is the very place where Gautama Buddha has achieved enlightenment under the famous Bodhi tree.

I cannot forget to step into Bodhgaya which was very different from other parts of the state of Bihar.

The moment I entered Bodhgaya I saw a huge building which was a replica of the Patola palace of Tibet (My bucket list destination) and the roads were much cleaner. It was like I was stepping into a beautiful unseen destination.

Bodhgaya Bihar – Buddhism in India

 

The tranquillity and the peace in the atmosphere were unparalleled it was a beautiful small town with various Buddhist temples being built up by various countries from Around the World.

It is said that even if you follow a few of Buddha’s teachings your life can undergo a huge transformation. Visiting all the Buddhist destinations all this while I totally believe in this saying it is indeed transforming.

Buddha’s practices and teachings are followed in various part of the World and each country has built a temple here following its own rituals and architecture. Hence, there is a temple from Japan, China, Thailand, and Tibet or from Bhutan etc.

UNIQUE OFFERING – This place has Buddhist Temple from around the world!

Since I  prefer “hopping” while traveling,  whether it is beach hopping or  Island hopping or as shared Puja hopping this time the traveler in me decided to go “temple hopping” of different kind of Buddhist temples.

I had a phase of Buddhist destination travel. I visited various locations in India and abroad where Buddhist temple are found as Buddhism is a religion. It was then I discovered that each place has a very different architecture of each of their Buddhist temple.I found that the shape of the temple, rituals and even the statue varies in each of the different countries,  be it in Thailand, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Tibet or Japan. The temple is unique in different countries and there was always something new I learned visiting them while traveling.

It was only when I started traveling extensively I realized the importance of spirituality and various religions. There’s so much one can learn in every religion. With huge respect towards each religion, I visit these spiritual destinations.

When I visited Bodhgaya, I found temples from each of these countries built here. I was thrilled as this made me remember each of my previous visit to various different Buddhist Temples around the world. A feeling I can not describe, as I visited a Japanese temple to come out and go to another Thai Temple and the Chinese Buddhist temple. It was a beautiful feeling to embrace the positive vibes here from around the world.

Yes, Bodhgaya is an amazing place where one can go, Temple Hopping, as there are many Buddhist Temple from around the world making it truly a global destination.

Bodhgaya-Japanese Buddhist Temple

Japanese Style - Bodhgaya Bihar – Buddhism in India

I decided to see all kind of temples and compare the differences in various style. Without visiting Japan or Thailand or China one can visit their uniquely designed Buddhist temples here. One can see the rituals, architecture and various practices which are being followed and learn so much.

Bodhgaya – Chinese Buddhist Temple

Bodhgaya Bihar – Chinese Buddhist Temple

Bodhgaya – Thai Buddhist Temple

Bodhgaya Bihar – Thai Buddhist Temple

 

Bodhgaya – Bhutanese Buddhist Temple

Bodhgaya Bihar – Bhutanese Buddhist Temple

 

TIPS FOR PLANNING THIS TRIP

Dress Up Conservatively

The place is highly respected and one must consider dressing up accordingly.

Read about Buddhism

It is advisable to read about Buddhism and the history of this destination to understand the importance of this place.

Daytime travel is recommended

Further, this place is not commercially touristy and one must not expect to get very high facilities around. Safety measures are important during the road trip to avoid chaotic traffic conditions. Daytime travel is recommended.

Visit all temples

There are various temples from around the world. Each temple is unique and one must visit all the temples.

Souvenir Shopping

After visiting all the beautiful temples it was time for shopping.  Souvenirs related to Buddhism cannot be found easily anywhere else in India. I picked up various Buddha statues small replicas of the Stupa and meditation bowls from this place.

Bodhgaya Bihar – Souvenirs Shopping

Must visit the Great Buddha Statue

As if I wasn’t feeling blessed already I move towards this big Buddha monument which reminded me of Big Buddha in Phuket the place is Landmark for tourist photography.One must visit here to feel truly peaceful

TRAVELQUARTZ RECOMMENDED DESTINATIONS

After Temple Hopping, one must gear up for visiting the Mahabodhi Tree and the main temple complex.

One must finish the photography session as one leads to the main Complex of the Mahabodhi tree where photography is not allowed. So I don’t have pictures from that Complex since the camera was not allowed and I respect the reasons behind it but I can share my experience ahead.

I was super thrilled on visiting the most famous Mahabodhi temple complex and visiting the original Bodhi tree.

MAHABODHI TREE

After standing in a small line we were able to enter the temple complex. The first view towards my right was the Mahabodhi Tree which is an original sapling (as per belief ) of the main “Sri Mahabodhi Tree” where Buddha has attained enlightenment. The area is covered by a small barricading.

Many pilgrims dressed in white yellow and various monks were sitting there to meditate on the tree and absorb the positivity of the atmosphere.

There is “Vajrasana” or diamond throne built there. This shrine was built as a monastery in past by Buddhist emperor Ashoka.

As shared in my previous blog of spiritual traveling I could instantly connect with the destination and felt the peace and tranquillity around. There was a sense of calmness peace and happiness, so much so that I was thankful to God that I was standing under the great tree. I was filled with gratitude.

MAHABODHI TEMPLE or MAHABODHI VIHAR

This is the main temple complex and also UNESCO World Heritage Site.

When I walked around the complex I could see very old architectural structures of stupa and meditation centers The architecture is one of the oldest and something I have never seen before. Further, I moved towards the main temple of Lord Buddha.

I was reciting the words “Buddham Sharanam Gacchami”. (I go to Buddha for refuge),   I moved ahead and entered into the temple praying and convey my regards to the great Buddha statue.

I stayed hours there meditating and feeling the positive energy around me. It was a feeling I never felt before. I got moved by the environment and felt so thankful for reaching this pious place. A destination I would love to visit again.

MY NEXT VISIT

There is definitely much more to this definition then what I have shared and one needs to experience it at least once in a lifetime. I am planning to visit here and stay for few more days and learn more about Buddhism and take part in the rituals. There’s so much learn at this place.

No wonder I met pilgrims of Sri Lanka who were having their lifetime dream to visit one place in the entire world and that was Bodh Gaya in Bihar.

I am revisiting here once I learn more about Buddhism and regain the peace I felt there.

I feel lucky to have visited this destination and if you have felt the same way visiting some other place, then please leave the destination and experience details in the comments below.

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Bodhgaya Bihar Buddhism in India

 

 

29 thoughts on “Bodhgaya Bihar – Buddhism in India

  1. Helene

    Can’t believe you saw a sapling of the original tree! You must feel really enlightened now:) That’s a great experience:) Love the architecture of the temples, with their roof spikes (don’t know how else to call them):)

    • Travel Quartz Post author

      It was such a special destination, the holiest place of Buddhism, there was a sense of peace there, not sure about enlightened but I felt very very peaceful there 😀 The roof spikes are typical architecture of Asian Buddhist temple, will find out about their real names 🙂

  2. Alex

    Wow what an amazing experience – especially seeing a sapling of the original tree! The temple is beautiful and looks incredibly peaceful.

    • Travel Quartz Post author

      Thank you for the feedback and encouragement 🙂 the real temple was not allowed to be photographed and was ancient and beautiful, somehow reminded me of Angkorwat !!

  3. Aditi

    Pardon my ignorance, but I had no clue that there were Japanese and Buddhist style temples in Bodhgaya. Thanks for letting us know. These structures are truly magnificent. Cheers!!

    • Travel Quartz Post author

      I know not everyone knows about this amazing destination and I got to know while I was in Sri Lanka 🙂

  4. lexieanimetravel

    I love the history about Bodhi Tree, about Buddha’s habits of meditations, I guess this is the most sacred place for Buddhists people, it equalize as the Mecca for muslims. Such a wonderful opportunity for us to see the interior part of Bodhgaya I feel like I’ve been there already.

    • Travel Quartz Post author

      The real temple we were not allowed to click pictures, it was reminding me of Angkor Wat so you can imagine how beautiful it was. You are right this is the most sacred Buddhist place and I realized about this when I visited Sri Lanka where Buddhism is one of the prime religion and so many people were traveling to India only to visit Bodh Gaya and come back !!!!!!!!! Can’t believe many in India do not even visit this special place as they are not aware how incredible this destination is. Would like more people to know about it and visit.

  5. Tyra

    Waaaaaaaaah you got to see sapling of the original Bodhi Tree! I remember in my reading about this in my religions of Asia class in college! I’ve been to many Buddhist temples in China and saw one in Japan. It’s amazing how they have a sample of each Buddhist temple around the world in Bodh Gaya!

    I would love to go there and have this experience!!

    • Travel Quartz Post author

      I know, I realized how important this destination is only when I visited Sri Lanka !! It’s strange how most of the Indian tourist skip this place not knowing the importance of this destination. Such a special travel visit it was. Yes, various temples around the world have a unique architecture and Bodhgaya gave me this opportunity to see the difference and experience it. Such a lucky feeling 🙂

  6. Indu

    Bodhgaya is must visit for any spiritual person. I got delighted reading your post as I visited this holy place, again, through your beautiful write up and pics.

  7. DTG

    Amazing read and place, I will deffo add it to my list of places to visit, nice photos and information, I love visiting such places.

    • Travel Quartz Post author

      The origin of Buddhism, the enlightenment tree, I realized this place was special from my Sri Lanka Trip 🙂 Sometimes you know your own country better if you travel to other countries. Glad you liked my post.Thankyou 🙂

  8. Lisa

    All these temples look incredible, and it’s interesting to see the differences between the different countries too. I know nothing about Buddhism but it strikes me as a very harmonious religion. Will remember this place if I ever visit India.

    • Travel Quartz Post author

      I agree Buddhism is peaceful and harmonious religion and the quotes can really help shape up the life well. I love reading about this religion and learn so much. Glad you will plan a visit. Asia has many other Buddhist temples too.You can relate to this post once you visit any of them. Do share your experience once you visit.

  9. Soraya

    What an incredible piece of sacred history to visit and be so close to the very point where it is believed that Buddha himself meditated at the very Bodhi Tree. It is true what you say that every country that has built a Buddhist temple is slightly different, but how fascinating it is that in Bodhgaya you can find different style of temples from the different countries.

    • Travel Quartz Post author

      Yes, my biggest discovery here was to know they have temples from around the world here, it was such a global feeling. Each temple made me feel like I entered a new country. Unexplainable feeling. Thank you, glad you liked this post!

  10. Lynne Sarao

    What an incredibly spiritual journey you went on. I must admit, I don’t know much about Buddhism, but it seems like this is an incredible place to go and learn how all cultures practice it. I love that you got to see different style temples from all over the world in one place!

  11. Dann Castillo

    This sounds like such a unique, peaceful experience! I read a lot about buddhism when I was younger, so I have always wanted to visit a temple. Thanks so much for sharing all the tips! it’s good to know that it is better to travel there during the day!

  12. Heidi

    Wow, each temple is so unique in its culture. What an amazing experience to go temple hopping and see them all. While I don’t consider myself religious, I am spiritual and Buddhism just rings so true with me. It must have been awesome to be in such a spiritual place and feel all that energy.

    • Travel Quartz Post author

      You are so right, one needs to equally a spiritual person or religious to understand the positive vibes here. I read a lot about spirituality and I agree with what you shared.

    • Travel Quartz Post author

      You are right, the positive energy totally dominated the place. Felt so peaceful there. Thank you, glad you liked this post!

  13. Juliette S

    Oh that’s so cool that there are all those temples from different parts of the world! I had no idea. But I think that’s a great way of seeing how each culture is influenced in their design of their place of worship. I imagine you would have felt very at peace visiting all these temples. You sound like you are very grateful for this visit – which is fantastic.

    • Travel Quartz Post author

      Yes, it was only when I visited Bhutan, Sri Lanka I realized Buddhism is vast religion to know about and temple architecture changes in each country. Thank you, glad you liked this post!

  14. Medha Verma

    Wow, they still have a sample of the original tree available on the premises? That;s pretty cool. I have of course heard of Bodhgaya and even though I am from India, I have actually never visited Bihar. I have been to Buddhist temples and stupas from around the world except in my own country! You were definitely lucky to have visited this destination.

    • Travel Quartz Post author

      Thank you, glad you liked this post! You must visit this place, I being from India realized the importance only when I visited Sri Lanka and locals there kept asking me if I have visited Bodh Gaya.

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