Bodhgaya - Buddhism central in India - aerial view over Mahabodhi Vihar

Fly over the Mahabodhi temple in Bodhgaya in the Gaya district of Bihar. The temple is surrounded by the garden. Mahabodhi temple is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Muchalinda Lake at the far left area of the temple grounds. The Karma temple in Bodhgaya near Falgu river. Bodhgaya is one of the most important and sacred Buddhist pilgrimage centers in the world. It was here under a banyan tree, the Bodhi Tree, Gautama attained supreme knowledge to become Buddha, the Enlightened One. Born; in the foothills of the Himalayas as a Sakya prince of Kapilvastu (now in Nepal), most of the major events of his life, like enlightenment and last sermon, happened in Bihar. Buddhism as a religion was really born in Bihar and evolved here through his preaching and the example of his lifestyle of great simplicity, renunciation and empathy for everything living. Significantly, the state's name of 'Bihar' originated from 'Vihara' meaning monasteries which abounded in Bihar. Several centuries after Bud