12 Best Places to Visit in Bodhgaya, Bihar

With this tour guide, you can easily explore all the Bodhgaya tourist destinations in Bihar. We stayed in Bodhgaya city for 2 days. All the places in Bodhgaya are not so far and are nicely cleaned.

Within 2 to 5 km, We explore all the tourist places. The Mahabodhi main temple is the prime attraction here. After Bodhgaya, we also visit and include the Rajgir tour.

Places to Visit in Bodhgaya Bihar
Places to Visit in Bodhgaya Bihar

Our Holiday Story

We started our journey from Howrah station. It’s a family tour with 4 people. The train is at Jodhpur Express time at 11.30 pm. We reached Howrah station 1 hour before and reached Gaya at 5.30 am.

From Gaya station, we rented an auto-rickshaw for Buddagaya, and it took 200 rupees. The distance between the Gaya railway station to Bodhgaya is 16.8 km.

After, We reached our hotel, completed breakfast, took a rest for a while and made a Sightseeing list of Bodhgaya tourist places. After we started our tour. First, we hired an auto-rickshaw for 200 rupees for Sujata Garh.

Kolkata to Buddha Gaya, Rajgir tour cost

Tour Cost Fare for 4Per Person
Howrah to Gaya1180295
Gaya to Bodhgaya by auto15037.5
hotel in Bodhgaya 2 days28001400
Food in Bodhgaya 1st day1900475
Sideseeing Budhagaya  auto fare30075
Budhagaya to Gaya  ( auto with return)450112.5
Vishnupad temple puja20050
Shopping at Gaya500125
Lunch in Gaya and return400100
Buddhagya side seen by Toto       (2nd day)14035
Shopping at Buddhagaya30075
Dinner at Buddha Gaya500125
Buddha Gaya to Rajgir Car3000750
Breakfast at Gehlaur (Dashrath Manjhi)10025
Sonbhandar guide Charge10025
Shanti stupa roapway16040
Shanti stupa shopping and Tiffin20050
Hotel with tanga10025
hotel room  for 2 days3200800
Hotel food for 2 days3000750
Nalanda sightseeing 1000250
Tanga ride for Nalanda side seen20050
Last day sightseeing with tanga500125
Entry fee12030
Guide (Rajgir All side)20050
Rajgir to baktiarpur local train14035
Dinner AT TRAIN600150
Bakhtiyarpur to Kolkata station2400600
Extra2000500
Total258407160 Rupees

Read famous places in Kolkata

Bodhgaya tourist places – Our route map

First, we visit Sujata Garh. It’s also called Sujata Stupa. This historical place is neat and clean, a sacred place. Next, we went to the Buddha Gaya Museum.

After that, we had a small Tiffin and shopped in the roadside market. We found two beautiful monasteries called Chinese and Thailand Buddhist Monastery in that place.

We stopped at both places to visit, and again, we hired an auto-rickshaw and went to the Tirupati shopping complex. In that place, we completed our lunch at the Tirupati food centre.

After that, we visited the 80 Feet Buddha Statue in Bodhgaya. The Statue is the prime attraction in Bodhgaya.

From there, we went back to our Hotel in the evening. In our hotel, the dining facility was not available on that day, so we arranged dinner from outside a restaurant. That’s how we spent our first day in Bodhgaya.

1. Gaya tour

The next day, we travel to Gaya. You should include this place in your tour.

In the early morning, we completed our breakfast and started our journey. We booked an auto-rickshaw for 250 rupees for Gaya. Here, the main attraction is the Vishnupad Mandir. This temple is situated on the west side of the Falgu River. The place carries significance for the Hindu religion.

All the spiritual ceremony has been organized after the death of people to give peace to their soul. Also, rituals are performed in that place to give their ancestor’s souls peace. From the name of ‘Gayaasur’, this place’s name is Gaya.

According to Hindu Mythology, Lord Vishnu kept his foot on the head of Gayasur, and the footmarks are still there in that place of worship.

Then, our next stop was Mangla Gouri Temple. On Tuesday, the Temple was overcrowded for puja. That’s why we couldn’t see the idol in this temple. We had a good time in the temple and moved to the main market of Gaya. It’s just similar to any market in Kolkata.

We completed our lunch in the Gaya market area. Therefore, we booked an auto and went back to our place.

After we had taken some rest and in the evening, we again visited new places in Buddha Gaya. We visited two Monasteries and a Buddhist Meditation centre; this meditation centre is a Buddhist school where children learn about Buddhist culture and Rituals along with traditional education.

From there, we took a Toto car and went to the Main temple of Buddha Gaya. Before entering that place, we must submit our shoes, phone camera, etc, in the nearby stall. There are many shops where you can put that stuff free of cost. If you wish, you can carry a camera for a 100 rupee fee.

Lastly, we visited Wat Thai Temple, Bangladesh monastery and a few more monasteries in Bodhgaya and returned to the hotel. The next day, we left Bodhgaya for Rajgir tourism. On the way to Rajgir, we found Dashrath Manjhi village.

Read Best Kurseong to Darjeeling toy train travel guide from Kolkata

2. Sujata Garh Sujata Garh

The Sujata Garh is the brick stupa that was constructed to commemorate the residence of Sujata—the maiden who offered milk and rice to Lord Buddha.

It Garh was established through excavations, which yielded an 8th to 9th century AD inscription. Excavations by the archaeological survey of India 1973-74 and again in 2001-06 have been exposed fully.

It was constructed in three phases from the Gupta to the Pala period. A wooden railing was around the ‘Pradakshinapath’ at the ground level. The entire structure was originally plastered with lime. Some of the antiquities were found during excavations. Those are displayed in the Bodhgaya Museum, maintained by the archaeological survey of India.

3. About the Archaeological Museum in Bodhgaya

Bodhgaya is one of the most revered pilgrimage centres for the Buddhist region. Lord Buddha had attained Supreme Enlightenment at this place. Archaeological Museum, Bodhgaya, was established by the Archaeological Survey of India in 1956 to better preserve priceless antiquities from the Mahabodhi Temple complex.

4. Bodh Gaya Museum

The museum’s most fantastic attractions are the stone railing, which once enclosed the Bodhi Tree and the Mahabodhi Temple. Made of Sandstone and granite, these pillars belong to the Sunga (2nd-Ist Century B.C.) and early medieval (6th-7th Cent. A. D.) periods.

The pillars have sculptured panels and medallions at both faces representing themes from Jataka, live events of Lord Buddha, zodiac signs, folk scenes, etc. Some pillars also bear inscriptions.

The museum houses remarkable sculptures of the Pala period (8th-l2th Cent. A. D.). Significant amongst the Sculptures of the Buddhist faith are images of Lord Buddha in different attitudes, Maitreya, Manjusri, Padmapani, Tara and Jambhala. In addition, Images of the Brahmanical affiliation are also displayed, representing Vishnu, Surya, Urna Mahesvara, Genesa, Kamadeva, etc.

A special attraction of the museum is the display of antiquities unearthed During excavations. It was conducted by the Archaeological Survey of India at Bakraur village situated one km from Bodhgaya.

East of the Mahabodhi Temple on the opposite bank of the Niranjana River revealed a brick Stupa built in memory of Sujata, which is discussed earlier. 

  • Entry Fee: 10 rupees per person; entry is free below 15 years of age.
  • Timings: 09.00 a.m. to 05.00 p.m. Tickets sold up to 04.45 p.m; the museum closed on Friday.

Read Bakkhali Tour Guide and travel sightseeing tourist spot trip

5. The Chinese Buddhist Temple

The white Chinese Buddhist Temple was styled after Indo-Chinese architecture and was built in 1945. The idol of Buddha is imported from China. In the temple, they collect the names of pilgrims to chant their names at the time of prayer.

6. Tibetan Buddhist temple near Bodhgaya Mandir Bihar

The Tibetan Buddhist temple near Mahabodhi Temple must include Bodhgaya tourist places. This is the main temple of Tibetan Buddhists. The Tibetan Buddhist temple has a large number of rooms for the lodge.

But this temple has limited access to rooms and lodges. The temple is under the Himalayan Community of Buddhists. In the temple, I interact with monks; they explain the temple and load Buddha, their prayers, etc.

7. The Great 80 feet Buddha Statue Bodhgaya

After visiting Tibetan temples and archaeological museums, we visited the 80-foot Buddha statue.

The 80 feet Buddha statue is the unique symbol of Buddha. It’s respected as the sacred place of Buddhists. People come here from all over the world to pay tribute to the enlightened Buddha. Also, they promote education and symbolize peace and happiness.

The statue is made with blocks of pink sandstone; the lotus is made with yellow sandstone, and the pedestal is made with red granite stone.

The Buddha statue is 64 feet, the lotus height is 6 feet, and the pedestal is 10 feet, and it was disclosed to the public on 18th Nov 1989.

Besides the great Buddha statue, there are also 10 statues of the Buddha’s disciples. The statues are made with sandstone. The place is open from 7 am to 12 pm and 2 pm to 6 pm. The place is very peaceful.

Read Bankura Bishnupur Mukutmanipur Tour | Kolkata weekend sightseeing plan

8. Metta Buddharam Temple

This is the newly built Lord Buddha Temple in white colour. The temple is on the Sujata bypass road of Bodhgaya. It’s a beautiful temple in Bodhgaya, closed on Sunday. It blends a mixture of modernity, creativity and culture. This template is decorated with tiny bells. And when the wind comes, beautiful sounds come from the bells.

9. Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya

Mahabodhi Temple is the prime attraction in Buddha Gaya, India. A giant gilded statue of the Buddha is on the ground floor of the Mahabodhi Temple. The temple is 60 feet wide and 180 feet high with its Pyramidal peak. The prayer hall is on the 1st floor.

The entrance to the temple is through an east-facing gate styled after the South Indian architectural pattern and cash in the Buddhist mould. All four corners are marked with four towers. The temple walls bear decorative illustrations of the Buddha in several postures, ornamental lotuses, birds, different sorts of animals and the Jataka tales.

This temple is an example of ancient Hindu architecture. The stone walls of this temple are of Ashoka’s times. According to another set of opinions, the Sungas built this temple (184 to 172 BC).

Hiuen Tsang (635 AD) the Chinese traveller, mentions this palace in his travel stories. The holy image of the Buddha was situated with a gold-plated brass umbrella in the temple. In 1877, the British revived it in public.

2500 years ago, Siddhartha, sitting on Bajrashila under a Peepal tree on the banks of river Niranjana in the Urubilwa village, had practised religious austerity for 49 days to attain spiritual salvation on the full moon day of ‘Baisakh’. After, the Niranjana River came to be known as Falgu.

10. Bodh Gaya tree

Lord Buddha took Mahaparinirvan, or enlightenment place, under the Peepal tree. It is supposed to be the sacred seat on which Buddha sat and attained spiritual wisdom.

Later on, Emperor Ashoka sent a sample of this Peepal tree to Srilanka (Anuradhapura) with his daughter Sanghamitra and son Mahinda as escorts. After the main tree perished, a sample from Snianka (Anuradhapura) was bought and installed at Bodhgaya.

The Bodhi tree of today is the 4th descendant of the original tree. Buddha used to sit for meditation on the lotus-shaped ‘Vajrayana’ under the tree. Footprints on the stone testify to Buddha’s presence when he became the Buddha or the Enlightened.

On the branches of the Bodhi tree, devotees fasten pieces of cloth. Buddha, the 9th incarnation of Vishnu, is quite accepted and popular among Hindus.

11. Muchlind Sarobar Bodhgaya

In the main temple a few away, I found Muchlind Lake. The serpent king Muchlind lay to have sheltered the meditating Buddha from rain and storm by spreading its hood like an umbrella. Besides this lake, the ancient University of Magadha had come up. But today, it is in a state of ruins.

The Mahabodhi Temple may be exquisite in Godly grace, but the Bodhgaya of today. It has become unique with the pouring in of wealth and artistic embellishments from all over the globe to celebrate the 2500th Anniversary of the Buddha.

12. Wat Thai Temple Bodhgaya

In 1965, Wat Thai Temple was built by the Thailand king in Bodhgaya. This is the only Thai temple in India. This temple shows the architecture of Thailand’s culture.

Wat Thai Temple has a beautiful statue of a bronze Buddha in the temple. Inside the monastery, the atmosphere cannot be expressed in words. Bangladesh monastery Bodhgaya is just beside this monastery.

Is Gaya and Bodhgaya same?

No, Gaya and Bodhgaya are not the same. Gaya is approx 15 km away from Bodhgaya. Bus/ taxi/ Auto services are available from Gaya station.

What should I buy in Bodhgaya?

You can buy Buddha statues, souvenirs, wooden manuscripts, etc.

What is famous in Bodh Gaya?

Many beautiful monasteries enhance the beauty of Bodh Gaya. The Bodhi tree is a special attraction here. Also, Gautama Buddha composed Pali here. This place is famous for Buddhist pilgrims.

Buddhagaya tourist places map
Buddhagaya tourist places map

2 Comments

    1. Thank you Supriya. After bodhgaya mandir tourism I will publish bodh gaya to rajgir tour details. Just keep in touch..

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