Mahabodhi 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
PHOTOS
For additional Bodh Gaya photos see FLIKR ALBUM.