Bihar has remained an underrated tourist destination in India.

It is ironic that Bihar was once the seat of one

of the most prosperous ancient Indian kingdoms and today it suffers listlessness when it comes to heritage tourism
in India. We agree, we may have a good amount of foreign tourists swarming Bihar but said unsaid they have all
restricted themselves to fewer destinations in this historically affluent state. If we see, the history of Bihar is
believed to have roots back to the breaking dawn of civilizations in India and then the state prospered as the seat
of majestic empires like Magadh. It is also the state that gave two important religions – Buddhism and Jainism to
the world. Bihar in course of years developed to a rich historic site with diverse culture and tradition. Today, what
we witness is the flavoursome extracts of the legacy of different empires. And if we make ourselves a little more
adjustable and open to travelling, we may be able to explore an important gem from the Indian treasure chest.
Here is Bihar from the eye of an avid traveller and for the sake of convenience the list has been split into three
sections, so that you do not leave any stone unturned. Without any further ado, let us begin our journey into the
historic land of Bihar: Amongst the most famous
places in Bihar is Gaya, which is a Hindu pilgrimage hub and a transit point for Buddhist pilgrimage centre of
Bodhgaya. It is believed that it was here under the tree that Buddha attained enlightenment. Gaya is a busy city
situated on the bank of River Phalgu and it is replete with many temples and historic sites dating back to different
eras that stand as the evidence to the successful rule of Maurya and Gupta dynasty here. The glory of Gaya was
extended so much so that even Hiuen Tsang could not resist mentioning it in his travelogues.

Transportation[edit]

 Bodhgaya is about 12 km from Gaya City. The NH83 Highway connects Gaya and Bodh
Gaya.
 The State Tourism Department provides travel facility from Patna to Bodh Gaya.
 Train and bus service for Gaya are available from Kolkata, which is an overnight journey.
 Buses have been introduced by BSTDC between Patna and Bodh Gaya via Rajgir.[15]
 A special caravan service called Wonder on Wheel, between Patna and Bodh Gaya,
has been introduced by Bihar Tourism Deptt
 facts
 The Mahabodhi Temple (the Temple of Great Awakening), located in Bodh Gaya in
Gaya district, 96 km away from Patna in Bihar, India, is a notable Buddhist temple and a
UNESCO World Heritage Site. The great temple, in addition to being a notable architectural
monument, marks the place where Siddhartha Gautama (later to be known as the Buddha)
attained Enlightenment. The sacred fig tree (Bodhi tree) under which Siddhartha Gautama
is believed to have meditated for years before achieving Enlightenment, is located in the
west of the main temple. The Pali Canon (Buddhist religious scriptures) mentions the site as
Bodhimanda while the temple or monastery is mentioned as the Bodhimanda Vihara.
The credit for building the Mahabodhi temple is often attributed to the Indian Emperor
Asoka, who visited Bodh Gaya in 250 BCE, (200 years after Siddhartha Gautama attained
Enlightenment) to mark the holy site by establishing a shrine and monastery. However, the
structures and architecture of the Mahabodhi Temple are dated back only to the 5th-6th
century. Many historians believe most of the current structure to be the result of a
nineteenth-century restoration work by the British Archaeological Survey of India on the
fifth-century temple located at the site. Prior to that, a pyramidal structure is believed to
have been located there, built in around the 2nd century, during the Kusana period.

Bodh Gaya is the most holy

place for the followers of the Buddhist faith all over the world. Situated by the bank ofriver Neranjana the
place was then known as Uruwela. King Ashoka was the first to build a temple here. [4]
Traditionally, Buddha was born in 563 BC in what is now Nepal [5][6] on the following auspicious Baisakhi
purnima. As Siddhartha, he renounced his family at the age of 29 in 534 BC [7][8] and travelled and
meditated in search of truth. After practicing self-mortification for six years at Urubela (Buddhagaya) in
Gaya, he gave up that practice because it did not give him Vimukthi. Then he discovered Noble Eight-fold
path without help from anyone and practiced it, then he attained Buddhatva or enlightenment.
Enlightenment is a state of being completely free from lust (raga), hatred (dosa) and delusion (moha). By
gaining enlightenment, you enter Nibbana, in which the final stage is Parinibbana.