JIM HAMILL
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BODH  GAYA

PictureMahabodhi Temple
Bodhgaya is where the Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree and consequently is Buddhism’s holiest site.  I arrived in Gaya at 6:15am - right on time from Calcutta.  I hopped in an autorickshaw for a fun fifteen minute ride to Bodhgaya through a series of winding streets before the road opened up to country-side.  

Bodhgaya's main temple, the Mahabodhi Temple, was constructed next to the Bodhi tree the Buddha was sitting under when we gained enlightenment.  Admission to the complex was free but I needed to pay a 100R charge to bring a camera inside.  Compared to the Jerusalem religious sites, Mahabodhi was much calmer and serene.  It felt more like a religious site than a tourist attractions.  There was no riff-raff from touts, guides, or shopkeepers.  The walkway outside the temple was closed to vehicular traffic but inside the temple area you could still hear the honking of cars - a reminder you were still in India and had not yet reached Nirvana.  Outside the temple there were a few beggars but not nearly the numbers you'd expect and see elsewhere in India.

Mahabodhi is a tall temple with a small golden Buddha inside.  The complex was nice and simple - not spectacularly overdone the way the insides of some other Buddhist temples I’ve seen and those in the surrounding area.  I sat under a descendant of the original Bodhi tree which had a more religious feel than the time I touched the star marking the place where Jesus was born.  Still no enlightenment though.

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A few more shots of the temple's grounds.
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It seems that every Asian country has funded a monastery in Bodhgaya - there’s a Japanese temple, a Thai Temple, a Bhutan temple, etc. I wandered around the temples to see if any had available accommodation but it was approaching a holy week so I was out of luck.  Each of the temples was distinctive and reflected the country’s architectural style.  I found accommodation away from the temple area but the village is so small it's pretty easy to walk around even in the pouring rain.  

Below: the first two images are of the Chinese Temple, the next two are of the Thai Temple.
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Below: the first two images are of the Japanese Temple, the next two are of the Kharma Temple.
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Below: the first two images are of the Bhutan Temple, the next two are a night shot of the Mahabodhi Temple and a bunch of westerners try to attain enlightenment under the bodhi tree.
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Body Gaya is still completely India. Despite this being a major religious pilgrimage site there's been relatively zero efforts made to commercialize, add infrastructure, improve transportation, add restaurants, etc. You are still in India.
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For additional Bodh Gaya photos see FLICKR ALBUM.
  • Lifetime Travels
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    • Africa >
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      • Indian Sub-Continent >
        • Bangladesh
        • India
        • Maldives
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        • Sri Lanka
      • Southeast Asia >
        • Brunei
        • Cambodia
        • Indonesia
        • Laos
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        • Thailand
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