Nirvana'a Bodhgaya

“Let the LIFE Travels to seek Enlightenment”


For Buddhists worldwide Bodh Gaya is the most important of the main four pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha.
Bodh Gaya or Bodhgaya city is in Gaya in Bihar, India. It is famous for being the place of Gautam Buddha's attainment of nirvana [enlightenment].
Historically, it was known as the ground round the Bodhi-tree and there was a large monastic settlement there. The main monastery of Bodhgaya used to be called the Bodhimanda-vihāra. Now it is called the Mahabodhi Temple.
Prince Gautam Siddhartha reached the sylvan banks of river Falgu near the city of Gaya when he was wandering as a monk. There he sat in meditation under a bodhi tree (Ficus religiosa). After three days and three nights of meditation, Siddharta attained enlightenment and insight, and the answers that he had sought. He then spent seven weeks at seven different spots in the vicinity meditating and considering his experience. .
Disciples of Gautama Siddhartha began to visit the place where he had gained enlightenment during the full moon in the month of Vaisakh (April-May). Over time, the place became known as Bodh Gaya, the day of enlightenment as Buddha Purnima and the tree as the Bodhi Tree.
The history of Bodh Gaya is documented by many inscriptions and pilgrimage accounts. Foremost among these are the accounts of the Chinese pilgrims Faxian in the 5th century and Xuanzang in the 7th century. The area was at the heart of a Buddhist civilization for centuries, until it was conquered by Turkish armies in the 13th century.
The Mahabodhi Temple complex is located about 96 kilometers from Patna and contains the Mahabodhi Temple with the diamond throne (called the Vajrasana) and the holy Bodhi Tree. This tree was originally a sapling of the Sri Maha Bodhi tree in Sri Lanka, itself grown from a sapling of the original Bodhi tree.