Bodhgaya or Bodh Gaya is a city located in Gaya district, to the northeastern state of Bihar, India.
In the Buddha’s time the city was known as Bodhimanda, the ground around the Bodhi Tree, as Uruvela, Sambodhi, Vajrasana and Mahabodhi. Now has a population of around 30,000 permanent residents.
In accord to Buddhist traditions starts around 500BC when the Prince Gautama Siddhartha wandered as an ascetic, near to the Gaya city around the sylvan banks of Falgu River. After three nights of meditations under the Bodhi Tree, he attained enlightenment and insight, and the answers that he had sought.
After meditating and considering his experience, he travelled to Sarnath where he began teaching Buddhism. Bodhgaya’s history is documented by numerous inscriptions and pilgrimage accounts. The most recognized 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.
During full moon in the month of Vaisakh (April-May) as per the Hindu calendar, the disciples of Gautama Siddhartha began to visit the place, calling the day of enlightenment as Buddha Purnima.
Bodhgaya is considered the most important of four main Buddhist pilgrimage destinations. The other three are Kushinagar, Lumbini and Sarnath.
In Bodhgaya the two major sacred sites are the famous Mahabodhi Temple and the descendant tree of the original Bodhi Tree commonly knew as Bo Tree under which the Buddha gained enlightenment, around which many other temples and monasteries of various Buddhist traditions have been built by the people of Bhutan, China, Japan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sikkim, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tibet and Vietnam in a wide area around the temple.
These buildings reflect the architectural style, exterior and interior decoration of their respective countries. The Myanmar (Burmese) Temple is also pagoda shaped and is reminiscent of Bagan. The Thai Temple has a typical sloping, curved roof covered with golden tiles. Inside, the temple holds a massive and spectacular bronze statue of Buddha.
Next to the Thai temple there is a recent 25 meter statue of Buddha located within a garden which has existed there for over 100 years. For Tibetan Buddhism there are two temples.
In terms of the climate in Bodhgaya, summers are hot, monsoon season in the whole of north India gets huge rainfall, but the winter months are pleasant in and around Bodhgaya city. The best time to make a trip into this Buddhist centre comes in the between March to October. During this period, the temperature is moderate and inviting.