Bodhgaya, In the State of Bihar, gained prominence as one of the most important Buddhist centers. It was here that Sakyamuni (Gautam Buddha) entered into meditation. The giant Bodhi Tree (Peepal) that stands today, is believed to have grown from the original Bodhi Tree under which, sitting on a raised platform, Prince Siddharth meditated and finally attained Nirvana. Then there is the Chaukramana, The Jewel Walk, where it is believed that the Buddha paced while in meditation.

The Maha Bodhi Temple here is an amalgamation of many cultures and bears the stamp of the architecture of the Gupta Dynasty and subsequent ages. On the walls of the temple, images of Buddha are carved in different aspects, and in the sanctum sanatorium, there, is a colossal Buddha touching the ground, which has mythological significance in Buddhist lore. The inscriptions here record visits of pilgrims from Sri Lanka, China and Mayanmar in the 7th and 10th Centuries AD. Hieun Tsang, the Chinese traveler also visited this temple in the 7th Century.

The Shaivite Monastery, the Jagannath Temple and the Archaeological Museum are also close by12 kms from here, between Pretshila and Ram Shila hills and washed by the shores of the Phalgu river is Gaya. Another famous site is at Sasaram where there are some Buddhist Rock Caves of the 3rd Century BC. Other places to be visited are the Surya Temple at Deo, the Sun God Temple at Umya and the Konchishwar Maha Deva Temple at Konch.

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