Mahabodhi Temple

The Mahabodhi Temple is a Buddhist temple in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, built over the spot where Siddhartha Gautama is said to have attained enlightenment under a Bodhi tree around 2,500 years ago. The first shrine here was raised by the emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE, and the present brick temple, with its central tower of about 55 metres, dates largely from the 5th or 6th century CE. That makes the Mahabodhi Temple one of the earliest brick temples still standing in India, and the most important place of pilgrimage in the Buddhist world.

The Mahabodhi Temple fell into neglect after Buddhism declined in India, and was restored in the 19th century, with Alexander Cunningham and the Burmese court both involved in the work. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002 and remains a living place of worship. Monks and pilgrims from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Tibet, Japan and beyond pray, chant and prostrate here from before dawn, and the winter months bring large Tibetan gatherings.

What to see

• The Bodhi Tree behind the temple, believed to descend from the original tree
• The Vajrasana, the red sandstone slab marking where the Buddha sat
• The gilded Buddha image in the main sanctum
• The Jewel Walk, where the Buddha is said to have walked in meditation
• The lotus pond and the carved stone railings, some original pieces now in the site museum
• The monasteries built by Thailand, Japan, Bhutan and Tibet in the streets around

What to wear

Dress modestly for the Mahabodhi Temple: cover shoulders and knees, and avoid shorts and sleeveless tops. Shoes are left at the counter outside, so wear slip-on footwear and bring socks for the cold stone floors in winter mornings. Bihar is very hot from April to June and cool from December to February, when a warm layer is needed at dawn. Local men often wear a dhoti or kurta pyjama and women the cotton saree; many pilgrims come in the maroon and saffron robes of their own traditions.

Local food to try

Bihar's everyday staple is litti chokha, wheat balls stuffed with roasted gram flour and eaten with a mash of smoked aubergine, tomato and potato, sold at stalls around Bodh Gaya and Gaya. Gaya is known for tilkut, a crisp sesame and jaggery sweet made in winter, and anarsa, a rice and sesame sweet. Because of the pilgrims, the lanes near the temple also have Tibetan cafes serving thukpa and momos, and plenty of vegetarian thali places.

Good to know

• Best time: October to March; come at dawn or after dark for the chanting and lamps
• Hours: daily, roughly 5am to 9pm
• Entry: free; a small fee applies for cameras, and phones may have to be deposited
• Allow 1.5 to 2 hours for the temple, longer to sit under the tree
• Getting there: about 15 km from Gaya airport and 16 km from Gaya railway station
• Walk clockwise around the temple and do not climb on railings or the tree platform

Nearby places

Many visitors combine Bodh Gaya with the monastic university ruins at Nalanda, about 80 km north-east, and with Takht Sri Patna Sahib in Patna. The ghats of Varanasi, near Sarnath where the Buddha first taught, are about 250 km west.