Bodh Gaya: melting pot of Asian cultures

I had learnt in school that Bodh Gaya is where Buddha attained moksha under the Bodhi tree. So recently, when I had gone on a trip to Gaya in Bihar, I decided to do an impromptu visit the former. The two places are around 15 km apart so after a quick, half an hour journey, I reached my destination. En route, I was searching for accommodation on my phone so in the last minute, I found a nice nature resort with cottage-like rooms.

As a traveller, the first impression of Bodh Gaya amazed me because of the architecture. There are around 31 monasteries here and each one is from a different region — Thailand, Japan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Myanmar… all the countries, where Buddhism is practised, have set up a place of worship built according to their style of architecture.

Though these nations all follow the same religion, it was astounding to see how distinct each shrine and ‘stupa’ was from the other. The unique designs, paintings and how Buddha is depicted in each place were worth seeing. As a matter of fact, I was confused for a moment if I was even in India because it was like seeing the diverse cultures of Asia all under one roof!

The main temple among all of these would be the Mahabodhi Temple, which is considered holy because located inside, is the Bodhi tree where Buddha sat meditating. It was my time here that I cherish the most because sitting near that tree simply mesmerised me. The vibrations were positive and a sense of calm reigned, despite a large floating population of visitors. What I found peculiar was that many monks pitched tiny tents within the premises to engage in prayers and worship.

Commuting between one temple and the other wasn’t too difficult because plenty of modes of public transport were available. I opted to hire a jeep for the entire duration of my three-day stay — knowing the local language, Hindi, helped because I was able to bargain for a better deal. In between my stops, I had access to food like rotis or chawal if I ever felt hungry, but I preferred eating my main meals at the resort where I was staying, because it offered a wider choice.

For those planning a trip to Bodh Gaya, I would recommend a two-day stay because one day is sufficient to cover all the monasteries and temples. On the second day, it would be better to travel to Gaya and visit the Vishnu temple and Falgun river — these places also have a mythological significance, as seen in the Ramayana, so it would be nice to read up in advance and then visit. It’s best to avoid summer the locals told me, since it would be unbearably hot. So the season I visited in (between July and September) would be ideal, I feel.