Experience the best of Bodh Gaya

Bodh Gaya is a small town in Bihar, in eastern India, and one of the holiest sites of Buddhism, because it is here, beneath a sacred fig tree, that Siddhartha Gautama is said to have attained enlightenment. The Mahabodhi Temple, a tall pyramidal tower of brick with niches of Buddha figures, stands beside a descendant of that original Bodhi tree, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Monasteries and temples built by Buddhist communities from Thailand, Japan, Bhutan, Tibet, Myanmar, Vietnam and other countries stand around the town, each in the style of its homeland, and a large seated Buddha statue rises in a garden. Nearby Sujata village and the Dungeshwari caves are linked to the Buddha's years of fasting, while the ruins of Nalanda and the hills of Rajgir lie to the north.

Bihari food includes litti chokha, roasted wheat balls served with a smoky vegetable mash, and tilkut, a sesame sweet from Gaya, and Tibetan restaurants offer momos and thukpa. The pilgrim season peaks in the cool months, when mornings are misty and prayer flags flutter, while summers are very hot.