Bodh Gaya - A Land Of Spiritual Poetry

“ All created things perish”and “ All created things are sorrow”but we humans work day in and day out to create things that are going to meet their ends some day or the other. Buddhism, a faith where materialistic happiness holds no priority, teaches us the path where one can achieve ultimate salvation, a perfect peace of mind, body and soul.

Bodh Gaya in Bihar is the pious site where Prince Gautama attained unsurpassed and supreme enlightenment under the sacred Asvatta tree ( Bodhi tree) and became known to the universe as Lord Buddha. For the Buddhists, Bodh Gaya is the most important of the major four pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha, the other three being Kushinagar, Lumbini and Sarnath.

Places Of Interest
The Mahabodhi Temple - This temple has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list. The temple has a diamond throne called as Vajrasana and the holy Bodhi tree. The temple is about 2500 years old. The Bodhi tree is a sapling of the Sri Maha Bodhi tree in Sri Lanka, itself a sapling of the original Bodhi tree. The Mahabodhi Temple has a 170 ft tower and was restored around 1880. In the inner sanctuary there is a huge Buddha. In the centre of the temple there is also a Siva Linga. The temple is extremely sacred to the Hindus because Lord Buddha is said to be the ninth incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
Other Buddhist Temples
Several Buddhist temples and monasteries have been built by the people of Bhutan, China, Japan, Mynamar, Nepal, Sikkim, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tibet and Vietnam in a wide area around the temple complex. The temples exhibit the architectural style and grandeur of their respective countries.

Scoop
Place - Bihar
Area - 10 sq .km
Population - 30,883
Altitude - 52 metres
Best Season To Visit - October to February
Languages Spoken -Hindi, Bhojpuri, Bengali and English
Local transport - Cycle Rickshaws, Auto Rickshaws and Tongas.
STD Code - 0631

The Changing Wind
Bodh Gaya experiences a tropical climate. Summers ( April - June )are generally hot while the winters ( October -February )are cool and pleasant. It also has south western monsoon rains from July to September.
Accommodation Options
Bodh Gaya has room for all. Accommodation here is plentiful and is easily affordable. Some of the hotels are as follows:

• Hotel Siddharatha International
• Hotel Lotus Nikko
• Hotel Royal Residency
• Sikkim Guest House
• The BSTDC Tourist Complex
• Hotel Tathagat International
• Hotel Mahamaya
• The Mahayana Guest House

Dining Delight
In peak season the town comes alive with roadside restaurants that serve everything from Chinese to Japanese to Korean to Tibetan to Italian to that ultimate symbol of America - the Apple Pie. Some of the restaurants that serve mouth watering cuisine are as follows:

• Om Restaurant
• Fujia Green
• Shiva Hotel
• The restaurant of the Lotus Nikko Hotel

Shopping Junction
In the peak season or during the Kalchakra festival the entire promenade to the north of the Mahabodhi temple is filled with roadside stalls selling thangkas, Buddhist icons and trinkets. The seasonal Tibetan Refugee Market is good for purchasing woollens. Throughout the year the government authorised handicrafts stores sell thangkas, dried peepul leaves, peepul- bead rosaries for meditation and lotus bead malas from Mongolia.
Major Highlights
Buddha Jayanti is celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary of Lord Buddha in the month of April or May.
The Kalachakra ceremony is held for about ten days each year and presided over by his Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama, the spiritual and temporal head of Tibetan Buddhists. It is believed that if one attends this ceremony at least once in a lifetime one will attain salvation.

Bodh Gaya Times
http://www.bodhgayanews.net

Map Of Bodh Gaya
http://www.mapsofindia.com/maps/bihar/districts/gaya.htm

Getting There
Air: Although Bodhgaya has no airport of its own, there is an airport in Gaya, which is 17 km away from Bodhgaya. Most airlines from the important cities of India touch Patna, which is 135 km from Bodhgaya.
Rail: The nearest railway station is also Gaya.Trains from all major cities of India stop at Gaya.Indian Railways has introduced a new train, Buddha Parikrama that caters to Buddhist spiritual tour by linking all the places associated with Buddha and Buddhism.
Road: Bodhgaya is the main bus stop and is located near Sujata Bridge on the Falgu River on the north eastern edge of the town. The nearest transport hub is Gaya, a major point on historical Grand Trunk Road There are regular direct bus services from Gaya, Patna, Nalanda, Rajgir, Varanasi. Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation run buses from Patna- Bodhgaya route twice a day.