Bodh Gaya is the holiest place in the world for Buddhists
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Christians have Jerusalem and Muslims
have Mecca. For Buddhists, Bodh Gaya, in northeastern India, is the
sacred centre of the world. Bodh Gaya is the place where Siddharta
became the Buddha about 2,500 years ago. This town is the holiest
place in the world for Buddhists. They come from all corners of the
world to meditate and learn on this sacred ground. The feeling that arises when you arrive in Bodh Gaya can certainly not be put into words. So pure, so real, so beautiful, very intense, but also enjoyable.
Copyright picture: Eranda-Fotolia
In Bodh Gaya you can find the sacred
Mahabodhi tree, under which Buddha attained enlightenment. At five
o'clock in the afternoon, just before sunset, all the monks in the
village come to the Mahabodhi temple to pray. As the sun begins to
set and the sky slowly turns pink, the music puts everyone on site in
a meditative state. Around you, Buddhists from all over the world are
praying. Each in their own way. The Thai monks stand quietly with
their faces turned to the temple and have their eyes closed. A little further, a Tibetan monk with
his hands folded briefly touches his forehead, lips and heart. Then
he falls to his knees. He glides with his hands and head towards the
temple. He repeats this ritual over and over again. The monks from
Myanmar sit together in groups. Every now and then a flock of birds
flies over your head, between the temple and the many trees towards
the water. The place is filled with peace and tranquillity.
This holy place radiates so much
spirituality that to date many monasteries have been built by many
delegates from the various Buddhist countries. The Bhutanese
monastery in Bodh Gaya rents rooms to tourists who want to sleep in a
monastery. This costs was only one euro per night. The rooms are of
course very basic for that amount. Toilet and shower need to be shared, but this all adds to your monastic experience. An
additional advantage is that at five o'clock in the morning you will
be woken up by the low tones of the monastery drums. This means you're up
pretty early. Ideal for viewing the special village in the beautiful
morning light.
What to do in Bodh Gaya?
Trek past the many monasteries in Bodh Gaya and see the differences between the architectural styles from Thailand, Tibet, Japan and Cambodia
Venture into the village and spend your day watching the colorful people who populate Bodh Gaya.
Sleep a few night in a monastery and you are awakened in the morning by the low tones of the drums that indicate the beginning of the day
Take a taxi to the Gierenberg (Rajgir). Rajgir is a mountain where the Buddha came regularly and where he taught the heart soetra.
Visit the monastery university Nalanda. Between the 5th and 12th century this university had a huge flowering period. It was the world's first international university. There were 10,000 students living there at the time and about 1,500 teachers. It is therefore a very vast area of 14 hectares walled and with four entrance gates, each in one of the four wind directions.
Best time to visit
The best travel time to go Bodh Gaya is
January, February, March, September, October, November and December.
The hottest months are April, May and June. Bodh Gaya has dry periods
in January, March, April, November and December. The most rainy
months are July and August. Click here for more climate details about Bodh Gaya.