BODHGAYA is the place where the Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. Six years passed between Siddhartha's departure from Kapilavastu and his arrival in Bodhgaya. After leaving his home and family, Siddhartha cut his hair, traded his fine clothes for the plain garb of a hunter whom he had met in the woods, and entered upon the "homeless life." As he passed into the forests outside Kapilavastu, Siddhartha became one of the many wanderers and ascetics in India who had, like him, left home and family to seek or teach their beliefs and practices. Still a young novice, Siddhartha hoped to find among these wanderers older and wiser teachers who could show him an escape from the cycle of death and suffering. He consulted two famous teachers in the region, Alara and Kalampa. When they were unable to answer all his questions, he turned to ascetism. For six years, he lived with five ascetics, eating, in a full day, no more than a gain of rice or a berry. His flesh fell away and his body became ghastly, skeletal and weak. Still he did not attain the enlightenment he was seeking.

He was too frail, he realized, to progress on the path to perfect wisdom. Giving up the ascetic's life, Siddhartha accepted a bowl of milk from a young girl named Sujata. Strengthened, he sought the shade of a fig tree, sat down, and resolved to remain in that position until he had achieved enlightenment. When he sat down, was still what Buddhists call a bodhisattva. With his enlightenment, he became for his followers the Buddha.

The spot under the fig or " Bodhi tree where the Buddha attained enlightenment is a kind of geographical omphalus or axis mundi for the Buddhists. Buddhism was conceived under the Bodhi tree, the only spot on the earth, texts suggest, that was perfectly stable. Despite Bodhgaya's importance to Buddhists, the area fell into decay for hundreds of years. During this time, the Mahabodhi Temple became the residence of a Saivite priest, and the Bodhi tree an object of Hindu worship, The area came to Buddhist attention in the early 1900's when the author of "The Light of Asia" , Sir Edwin Arnold, made a plea for its restoration. Bodhgaya has since been transformed into an important Buddhist center of meditation and devotion.

Budh Goya
In the Buddhist circuit tours, Gaya and Bodh Gaya form one of the most important places to be visited. Situated in the Central Bihar, on the foot hills of the Chotanagpur plateau Gaya is today counted among one of the most notorious places in Bihar. This is the place where Gautam Budha attained Enlightenment or the knowledge of life. Gaya is also known as one of the pilgrimage for the Hindus. Gaya is located on the Banks of river Falgu and people come here to perform rites which provides peace to the departed soul of their ancestors. Bodh Gaya is the place where Gautam Buddha did his meditation. Here one can find the Bodhi tree under which Buddha performed his meditation. The Maha Bodhi temple of Bodh Gaya is one of the important places of worship for the Buddhists. Recently this temple was in midst of a controversy between the Bihar Government and the Board which manages this temple. But the controversy has not affected the in flow of tourists to the place. Gaya and the sister town of Bodh Gaya are both small towns which can be seen in one day. Bodh Gaya is a peaceful town which has attracted not only domestic tourists and Buddhist but also visitors from the West who want to know about Buddhism and learn meditation. During the winters Tibetans come here and stay. Many times the Dalai Lama spends December in Bodh Gaya. This place has all the charm due to the visitors and tourists when they leave, it seems that they have taken the galmour of this place.

Spots to See :

• Museum
• Pretshila Hill
• Vishnupat Temple
• Maha Bodhi Temple
• Surya Kund
• Bodhi Sarovar
• Chankamana
• Bodh Goya Tree