"... One of his students asked Buddha, "Are you the messiah?"
"No", answered Buddha.
"Then are you a healer?"
"No", Buddha replied.
"Then are you a teacher?" the student persisted.
"No, I am not a teacher."
"Then what are you?" asked the student, exasperated.
"I am awake", Buddha replied... "
- An excerpt from Buddha's life.
Buddha in the above excerpt is talking about awakening. Awakening is talked about in reference to the enlightenment; the enlightenment for which Buddha left his kingdom and lived a life of a wanderer for so many years. Years of wandering took him to Bodhgaya. It is in Bodhgaya where he got awakened and attained enlightenment.
With this event, Bodhgaya in Bihar came in limelight and became the most important Buddhist pilgrimage site. People from all over the world, started visiting the place to seek Buddha's blessings and to comprehend the meaning of life via his soulful preachings. People still come here in search of enlightenment. This is the prime reason for which tourists visit Bodhgaya.
Being synonymous to Lord Buddha, Bodhgaya is a destination where people find solace. This pilgrimage site incorporates a divine ambiance which bestows the visitors a peace of mind. They get a sense of relief from their stress the moment they enter the vicinity of this pious site. The city with its peaceful environs not only endows serenity to the soul but also calms the mind of the visitors.
Main attractions of Bodhgaya:
Buddha used meditate in this pious city, under a banyan tree. The tree got prominence since then and known as the Bodhi tree. The tree is considered pious. The people who visit the place takes the leaves of this sacred tree and keep it with themselves. They believe that these leaves are the blessings of Buddha. People took the sapling from the original Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya and planted it in Sri Lanka which too is considered as sacred as the original one.
Another attraction of the place which is steeped in peace and beauty is the Mahabodhi Temple. The temple was constructed at the very spot after Buddha attained enlightenment. The temple was built to commemorate the event and to honor the awakened soul of Buddha. The temple comprises fascinating edifices and statues that reflect the events in the life of Buddha. The temple has a huge statue of Buddha in the meditating posture which is made up of alluring red sandstone and granite.
Dungeshwari Caves and Bodhi Sarovar are some other attractions of the place which can be explored with your Buddhist pilgrimage. The bustling bazaars at the vicinity of Mahabodhi temple are replete with wonderful handicrafts items such as divine ornaments, religious books, Buddhist paintings etc.
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