Enlightenment.
The Great Awakening Temple, where the Buddha found enlightenment's release.
Under the Bodhi tree, he sat in contemplation, And discovered the path to true liberation.
The holiest site of Buddhism, The Mahabodhi Temple (or “Great Awakening” Temple) in Bodhgaya, India, is actually one of the four sacred sites of the Lord Buddha’s life, and the very spot where he attained Enlightenment. On the western side of the temple is the sacred Bodhi Tree, the very fig tree under which the Buddha was sitting when he did so. He spent seven weeks in seven different spots meditating on his very own revelations, as well as numerous Votive stupas.
Siddhartha Gautama, a young prince who saw the suffering of the world and wanted to end it, reached the forested banks of the Phalgu river, near the city of Gaya, India. There he sat in meditation under a peepul tree, which later became known as the Bodhi tree. According to Buddhist scriptures, after three days and three nights, Siddharta attained enlightenment and the answers that he had sought. In that location, Mahabodhi Temple was built by Emperor Ashoka in around 260 BCE.
Today, it is a major pilgrimage site and Buddhists around the world, regardless of race, language or culture travel to Bodhgaya as the holiest place of their very faith.
“In a dusty, bustling corner of the Indian state of Bihar, there is a magical place that one might think of as the hub of Buddhism.”
The Mahabodhi Temple Complex has continuous visitation by pilgrims from all over the world to offer prayers, perform religious ceremonies and meditate. In June 2002, the Mahabodhi Temple became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
*First published 28 March 2023
Getting to the Mahabodhi Temple
For most foreign visitors, the quickest and easiest way to get to the Mahabodhi Temple UNESCO site is to land in Kolkata (Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International airport).
After that, connect to a domestic flight to Gaya city and take a tuk-tuk or taxi to Bodhgaya. There might be some direct flights to a few South-east Asian cities but do not bet on that.
Observations
Do try to stay near the temple complex as it is the “city centre” of Bodhgaya. Infrastructure outside of the centre is still rather shoddy.
The first thing you might realise is the large amount of monks and foreign visitors, especially those from nearby Asian countries. Most of them are pilgrims and there’s a large amount of vegetarian restaurants in the town.
Electronics like mobile phones are not allowed in the temple complex. You will need to deposit them in the cloak room near the ticketing booths. If your only camera is a phone, then you should get a real camera and buy a ticket for it. Yes, your camera has to buy a separate ticket. It’s a real shame to come so far from home and not take photos of the temple.
Do be patient during your visit as there will be a large amount of visitors, it’s after all the holiest site of Buddhism and an extremely powerful spiritual place.
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All images shot on a Nikon D700 with a manual focus Zeiss ZF Distagon 21mm f/2.8mm.
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