Blogs from Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India, Asia

Gaya and Varanasi are two holy cities which all Hindus wish to visit at least once in their lifetime. Gaya and surrounding areas like Nalanda, Pawapuri are sacred to three important religions of humanity, i.e. Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Distance between Gaya and Varanasi are roughly 260 kms. When we planned to travel this region, our basic objective was two fold : i. To perform religious rites (called Pindadaan) our forefathers as per Hindu traditions by myself and my sister. As per Hindu mythology, this ritual is a homage to the ancestors and mandatory for a Hindu to release the departed soul of his forefathers after death, to the ultimate world of nirvana or happiness. ii. To enlighten ourselves of the immense significance of this land, from where three sects of religion flourished and ancient scholars ... read more

Hello ! Cela fait trois jours que l'on est sur Bodhgaya. Petite ville touristique où l'on a rencontré un indien vraiment amical. Il nous a invité chez lui et nous a fait visiter tous les principaux temples de la ville et nous a emmené faire une petite balade en dehors vers la fameuse montagne accueillant la grotte de l'Eveil du Buddha. Le circuit était vraiment sympa, on a traversé ponts, forêts, deserts et un petit village où Anil nous a fait découvrir une petite école caritative... C'était poignant ! Ce matin nous sommes allés voir deux derniers temples et un petit parc avec plein de papillons et ce soir on a regardé un bout de la demi-finale de criquet et les Indiens étaient bien partis pour gagner... D'ici quelques heures ca va être la grosse fiesta ... read more

Klaudia pointed out a monk sitting with his back against a miniature stupa, petting a bird that had landed on his finger. I smiled, commenting that he was a veritable St. Francis of Assisi while we raced monks to leaves that fell from the Bodhi tree that is demarcated as one of the holiest places in Buddhism. After the monks had tired me out, I took a seat under the correct tree this time because we’d earlier taken pictures under the wrong one. “Aww,” I heard Klaudia sigh as a monk beat her to a leaf, confirming that this was the right tree. It was difficult not to contemplate my life as I sat under the same Bodhi tree that Buddhists believe the Buddha himself sat under as he attained Bodhimandala, or enlightenment. My thoughts roamed ... read more

Bit off the grid at the moment. 5 hour drive from Varanasi to Bohd Gaya, where the Buddha sat under the bodhi tree and achieved enlightment. Hotel very basic ( Bohd Gaya very basic for that matter - poverty very challenging ). No Internet in hotel, so am in a cyber cafe (of sorts). Got a long journey to Agra tomorrow ( 17 hours on the road ) so hoping for more facilities there and will be able to provide a full report ( with pics ) the following day. In the meantime, Om Mane Padme Om.... read more

I've been back in New Delhi for the past week after three weeks in Bodhgaya. For non-Buddhist readers, Bodhgaya is in Bihar State, which is in central northeastern India, near Nepal. Bodhgaya is like the Mecca or Jerusalem of Buddhism, as it is the location where Shakyamuni Buddha, the forth Buddha of this world system attained enlightenment 2500 years ago beneath the bodhi tree. We are currently under his teachings, until the manifestation of the next Buddha, his disciple Maitreya, the Buddha of Loving Kindness. I was in Bodhgaya for teachings with His Holiness The Dalai Lama. I arrived Christmas Eve after two days of train travel from Dharamsala in North India. The journey was exhausting. My Tibetan travel agent could only route me to Gaya proper via Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, a city I wanted ... read more