Place of enlightenment

Mahabodhi Temple

Bodh Gaya is the location of the Bohdi tree under which Buddha attained elightenment. As a consequence, temples of all varieties of Buddhist have sprung up around the temple celebrating the enlightenment. The major ones seem to the Thai Theravada monastery and the Tibetan Kagyu monastery. The Kagyu site also includes a huge prayer hall which is used for the annual Monlam prayer festival which is held annually at the Tibetan New Year. At this time of year the hall is a totally empty, echoing building capable of holding about 10,000. In addition to the major sites all of the following are represented (and probably many more that I did not see): Burmese, Japanese, Sri Lankan, Korean, and Vietnamese.

The temple area itself is very peaceful area, and although there were a fair number of people there, there was no sense of crowding, even round the Bohdi tree. Here the entire space was taken up by sleeping /meditation mats occupied by those spending a period of time there.

Outside the temple complex there was some, but surprisingly little, religious tourism tat. 

Onwards to Bihar

Today was a travel day. We arranged our luggage in the lobby of the hotel; porters materialised and started the procession through the alleys and passage ways from the ghat to the road. Then along the road, still in procession, to the coach. We had said goodbye to Ani Dolkar yesterday, and today we said a temporary goodbye to Egle, who was flying across India to attend a friend's wedding, and then will be rejoining us in a few days time. 

Then it was off to Bodh Gaya through the centre of Bodh. Lunch time provided its own share of interest. The truck stop we arrived at was on the opposite side of the road from which we were travelling with a concrete barrier between the lanes. No problem - onto the next junction and turn around to get to the pit stop. After a good meal, and lots of soft drinks, it was time to start our travels again. So off we went down the wrong side of the carriage way until we reached the junction where we had previously turned round. All parties, including oncoming traffic that was going the correct way, regarded this as normal practice. 

Arriving late at Bodh Gaya and went to explore the local area. One way from the hotel was the bustling centre of Bodh Gaya, while the other direction tailed off into a very poor looking area edging from the town into a rural area.  It was very apparent that Bihar was, as I had gathered, a very poor state, largely agricultural, and with a very high crime rate because of the poverty.