Bodh Gaya today is the most important pilgrimage for Buddhists. Here as you wander around the Mahabodhi Temple or sit and meditate before the vajrasana, the diamond throne that stands under the Bodhi tree, you are at the place where the story of Buddhism began all those centuries ago. Bodh Gaya has been declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO.

It is a serene and peaceful place. The air is redolent with the perfume of incense as shaven headed monks clad in saffron or maroon and nuns in white robes wander past twirling their prayer wheels, softly chanting “Buddham Sharanam Gacchami” to the beat of gongs and bells. In the lawns pilgrims sit in quiet corners among the small votive stupas absorbed in meditation as the multicoloured prayer flags snap in the breeze. The spirit of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha still permeates the atmosphere at Bodh Gaya.

The history of Buddhism begins at this hallowed place that was once a small village called Uruvela and is today the world famous site of Bodh Gaya. A Buddhist pilgrim’s journey of discovery has to begin from here.