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Located in Bihar, the city of Bodhgaya is well known as a Buddhist pilgrimage. Built on the banks of the Neranjana River, the place was previously known as Uruwela. The first temple was built here by King Ashoka. It is believed that it was in Bodhgaya under the Bodhi tree King Siddhartha was enlightened with the supreme knowledge and was transcended to being the Enlightened Buddha. To the Buddhists Bodhgaya are the most important places of pilgrimage; the other three being Lumbini, Kushinagar and Sarnath. The Bodhgaya travel guide mentions that the Mahabodhi temple in Bodghaya was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002. In history Bodhgaya was remembered as Bodhimanda and the monastery was known by the name of Bodhimanda - vihar. At present the city is a historians’ and tourists’ paradise replete with palaces and monuments which are closely associated with the enlightment. The most famous Bodhgaya tourist attraction is the Mahabodhi Temple situated 110kms from the city of Patna. It contains the sacred Bodhi tree and the diamond throne, commonly known as the Vajrasana. The Bodhi tree at present is probably the fifth descendent of the original tree to be planted here. Emperor Ashoka is considered to be the founder of the Mahabodhi Temple. It comprises of an elongated spire canopied by a miniature stupa with a chhatravali on its platform. Two flight of steps lead up to the platform and the sacred shrine. The spire contains images of Buddha intricately carved. Tourists can visit the temple between 5am – 9pm. After the decline of Buddhism the temple was abandoned and left to be buried under the layers of the soil. Sir Alexander Cunningham along with two other historians excavated and renovated the temple in 1883. With the growing awareness and interest in the religion of Buddhism; how to reach Bodhgaya has become a common question. For travellers wanting to visit Bodhgaya by air, the nearest airport is the Gaya airport 7 kms away. You can also take a flight to Patna 135 kms away. The nearest railway station is Gaya station 17 kms from Bodhgaya. Bodhgaya is also well connected by a fantastic network of roads connecting to Gaya, Patna, Nalanda, Rajgir, Kolkata and Varanasi. Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation also has buses which ply between the Patna- Bodhgaya routes twice a day. For tourists coming from Gaya, there are direct bus services available. On can also avail of charted buses or taxis from Patna and Ranchi if interested in conducted tours. According to the Bodhgaya travel guide Bodhgaya can be visited anytime of the year but the best time is between October-March when climate is very pleasant. The other Bodhgaya tourist attractions include the AnimeshLochanChaitya, Chankramama and Ratnagarh. One can also visit the 80 feet statue of Buddha, Lotus Tank, Rajayatana, Brahm Yoni, the Chinese temple and monastery, Buddhist Monastry of Bhutan, Japanese temple, Thai temple and Buddha Kund. Sujata Village (2kms), MaitrayaProject, Barabar Caves (41kms), Vishnupad temple (12kms), Sun Temple (32kms), Pretshila Hill (12kms), Durgeshwari Hills (12kms), Nalanda (96 kms), Pawapuri (114kms) and Muchalinda Lake (3kms) are popular excursion sites. The best places to stay are Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation run hotels- Buddha Vihar, Siddhartha Vihar and SujataVihar. All these three hotels have Tourist Information centres for any queries that tourists may have. One can also stay at Hotel Bodhgaya Ashoka which is run by the Indian Tourism Development Corporation and besides these you also have other private luxury hotels. This Article is being submitted on behalf of India's Best travel site. Get More detail about Bodhgaya Travel guide, How To Reach Bodhgaya Hotels In Bodhgaya places
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