BODHGAYA:
As the place of the Buddha's Enlightenment, Bodhgaya is the spiritual home of
Buhddhists. It attracts tens of thousands of believers from all over the world.
Bodhgaya situated near the river Niranjana, is one of the holiest Buddhist pilgrimage
centres since it was here that Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree.
The population of this town is 22,000 and is situated at an altitude
of 113 m. Maximum temperature in summer rises to 45-47 degree Celsius and minimum
is 27 degree, while in winter maximum is 28 degree and minimum is 4 degree. It
receives an annual rainfall of 1,860 mm. Most countries with vast Buddhist population
have a temple or monastery here.
The 25 m Great Buddha Statue in the
Japanese Kamakura style was unveiled by his holiness Dalai Lama in 1989.
Bodhgaya is 12 km from Gaya, 140 km from Patna, 66 km from Rajgir and 482
km from Calcutta.
Air: Patna is the nearest airport with regular
flights to Delhi, Ranchi, Lucknow, Calcutta, Chennai, Mumbai. Calcutta, 482 km,
has an international airport.
Rail: Gaya is the nearest railway
station. Several superfast as well as express trains are available from Gaya.
Gaya is on the main Delhi to Calcutta line and there are direct trains to Delhi,
Calcutta, Varanasi, Puri and Patna.
Road: Bihar State Road Transport
Corporation (SRTC) has bus services to Gaya, Patna, Nalanda and Rajgir. The main
bus stand is opposite the Mahabodhi Temple. Private buses and taxis are also easily
available.
