India sure is an excellent destination rich in culture and history, this would prove that India has great potential in terms of satisfying your travel excitement. Believed by the people to be the vessel of Buddhism, Bodhgaya is located in Bihar and is a historical site that must be visited.

Buddha & Sujata (Sujata Temple)| Img by: Hideyuki KAMON via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0

The story behind the temple

The place in which the temple is built in is the same place where the maiden Sujatha offered a bowl of milk rice and honey to a noble, Prince Siddhartha who happened to stop at this point to rest. It is to mark this incident that the temple was set up.

Structure

Back in the day, the temple was about 11 meters tall, however, over the years of insufficient care, the magnificent structure has been significantly damaged. The stupa is built of lime plaster, mud-mortar was used as a binding agent to keep the stupa together. The railings and pillars were made of stone.

Other places in Bodhgaya

There lies not far from the Sujatha Temple, the Great Buddha Statue which is the largest Buddha statue in the whole of India. It was set up by XIV Dalai Lama in the year 1989. The sculpture is of a magnificent meditating Buddha. Mahabodhi Temple is yet another important monument to visit in Bodhgaya. This temple is also called ‘The Great Awakening Temple’ and is one of the world heritage sites. The Bodhi tree is right next to the temple, this is thought to be the sapling of the original tree.

Visitors information

So, if you are hoping to visit India sometime soon and stop by Bodhgaya, there are plenty of places to see and things to do. If you are looking for accommodation, book a hotel in Bodhgaya; there are many options from luxury hotels like Oaks Bodhgaya to budget hotels.

India is the country where Buddhism was initiated, and therefore the country has several places of Buddhist history and religious value. Bodhgaya is a place full of iconic places displaying Buddhist culture and reflecting the enlightenment of the Lord Buddha. Come visit Bodhgaya and learn some interesting facts.

Intrigued by history, art and food, Lavinia Woolf is a writer who is passionate about the extraordinary and writes of the exhilarating and enchanting. Google+