Tuesday, November 25, 2014

MahaBodhi Temple at Bodhgaya, India

Listed as one of UNESCO World Heritage Site, the MahaBodhi Temple in Bodhgaya, India, is a strongly recommended Holy place for pilgrimage visit by Buddhists and religious/spiritual visitors. Its location marks where prince Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, is said to have attained Enlightenment under a Bodhi tree.
Located in Bihar's Gaya district, the recommended season to visit Bodhgaya is November to March when it is cool winter season.
The MahaBodhi Temple comprises of a Hugh compound with a main tall tower (189 feet ) that houses a serene statue of the Buddha.


Behind this tall tower shrine which houses a serene Buddha statue (where photography is generally not allowed inside ) are the Diamond Throne and Bodhi Tree.



Glimpse of Diamond Throne from outside protected area of Bodhi Tree now.
In my first trip in 2004, they used to allow visitors into the protected area to have closer look at the Bodhi tree and Diamond Throne which was more elaborately decorated compared to now.
Offerings of Floral decors by devotees.
Green Tara


Full prostration zone 
Relaxing green...
Offering of flowers at Holy Place !
Night scenes of MahaBodhi Temple with laser lights has some feel of Disneyland... :-)
Opening from 5am-9pm, it is a serene place of good energy, especially early in the morning. One can do circumambulation, prayers, meditate and many also perform full prostration around the compound or one may simply just relax and walk or sit down at a spot.
Surrounding the MahaBodhi Temple, there are many temples from different countries of different architectural designs at Bodhgaya that are also worth visiting. 
Bodhgaya is a spiritual place that one can spend at least a week there with repetitive visits to the MahaBodhi Temple and many had travelled to Bodhgaya repetitively.
How good is the place? Only by travelling there can one experience for oneself...

A good reference of MahaBodhi temple can be :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahabodhi_Temple
For info on Vegetarian food round Bodhgaya, one may refer to: http://vegefoodhunt.blogspot.sg/search/label/Oversea%20Delights-India-Gaya
For more tips on travelling in Bodhgaya, may scroll to bottom of post:
http://sunny-vegetravel.blogspot.sg/2014/09/monlam-pavilion-at-bodhgaya-india.html