Article of Gaya Tourism

Gaya Tourism is an importance religious place and considered the most sacred place for the hindus.The famous place of Buddhist pilgrimage are - Lumbani, Bodhgaya, Sarnath and Kushinagar. Each destination has distinct identity and offers countless tourist attractions and also tells various stories related with the birth and progress of Buddhism in India. Besides, the above four highly significant Buddhist destinations, there are other places also which holds special meaning in the life of Lord Buddha.

Gaya Tourism is the most popular temple today is Vishnupad Temple, a place along the Phalgu River, marked by a footprint of Vishnu incised into a block of basalt, that marks the act of Lord Vishnu subduing Gayasur by placing his foot on Gayasur's chest.

Bodhi Tree: The present Bodhi Tree is probably the fifth succession of the original tree under which the Buddha had attained enlightenment. Vajrasana, the seat of stability, is a stone platform on which the Buddha is supposed to have sat in meditation gazing east, under the Bodhi tree.

Gaya is a ritual place and it is famous for Pind daan. People from all over the world comes here to perform pind daan puja for their passed ancestors. This pinddaan puja brings peace to the soul. Most of the people come here in the months of monsoon (September - October) for the 'Pitrapaksh Tarpan' (Prayers offered for the dead). The pilgrims take a dip in the seasonal holy river 'Phalgu' during this season. There is gathering of people for 2 weeks here for Pitripaksha Mela and perform the rituals of pind daan for their departed family members. These rituals brings peace to the wandering souls. Devotees not only from india but arond the world come here and participate in huge numbers.

"Gaya is a picturesque city surrounded by temple-crowned hills… It is a place of great sanctity and a very important place for pilgrimage, the central point of which is the Vishnupad temple that enshrines a footprint of Vishnu. The temple was built in the 18th century by the Maratha princess Ahliyabai.The hills around the city are also places of sanctity. The highest is that of Brahmayoni, which rises precipitately to a height of 450 feet above the plain. Six miles south of Gaya is the great temple of Bodh Gaya, one of the holiest places in the world, and the most sacred of all places to the Buddhists.These (Barabar) hills are 6-8 miles east of Bela railway station, the second railway station on the way to Patna… This is the site of the ancient Silabhadra monaster. On a low ridge of granite in the southern corner of the valley are the famous Barabar caves. The reader of E.M.Forster’s book A Passage to India will recall the incident of which the scene is one of these caves." - Sir John Houlton in Bihar the Heart of India.

Bodh Gaya is the most sacred pilgrimage destination for Buddhists. It is the place where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment. To visitors, Bodh Gaya offers enchanting natural beauty coupled with rich cultural and religious pilgrimage . The famous Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya is one of the UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. The Mahabodhi Temple is the revered equally by the Buddhists as well as the hindus.