There is no place in the world that Buddhists revere more than Bodh Gaya, in Bihar. Here, is where Gautama Siddharta attained enlightenment, a state of total liberation from lust, hatred, and delusion, thus becoming the Buddha, the Englightened One.

Visiting Bodh Gaya means coming into contact with the light of wisdom that leads to happiness. Every year, during the full moon of May, thousands of pilgrims from various countries, including Nepal, India, Burma, Thailand, China, and Japan, arrive in Bodh Gaya to commemorate the moment when Buddha attained nirvana. The story begins with Siddhartha: he was a prince, born in 563 B.C. in Nepal, who, at the age of 29, renounced his kingdom, his possessions, his wife, and his son and began wandering through the pre-Himalayan hills, pushing to the plains, visiting sacred places like Varanasi on the banks of the Ganges. He searched for the meaning of life, not satisfied with the philosophical explanations of his time. He reached Rajgir and ultimately Gaya, an ancient religious center blessed by the Hindu god Vishnu as the place where all men are forgiven of sins. Siddhartha spent many years in seclusion on the outskirts of Gaya, near the Falgu River, fasting and meditating under a religious pipal tree, for a period of 49 days and nights. During this period, many events occurred that would later find expression in late Buddhist art. According to one of these stories, a great serpent known as Mucalinda emerged from the waters of a storm that seemed to threaten Buddha. The serpent curled around the Buddha seven times, not to suocate him but to protect him. Another story tells of the day when Mara, the eternal temptress, appeared to 35-year-old Buddha, who was seeking truth through meditation, to divert him from his practice and lure him to carnal pleasures. Buddha remained unmoved as he lowered his hand and touched the earth, witnessing his triumph over desire, the root of all human suering. Flowers rained down that night under the full moon and the universe celebrated the victory of wisdom over all else. The young man Siddhartha thus became Buddha, the Enlightened One. The tree under which he sat came to be called the Bodhi Tree and the place Bodh Gaya. The Mahabodhi Temple and the Bodhi tree are both located in the pilgrimage center of Bodh Gaya. For Buddhists, Bodh Gaya is one of the four main pilgrimage sites associated with the life of Gautama Buddha, along with Kushinagar, Lumbini, and Sarnath.