Yet another place for Buddhist pilgrimage, this location brings about the story of Buddha's enlightenment. Deserting by his followers, Buddha sat down by a tree and vowed not to rise until enlightenment was reached. Meanwhile, Mara the Lord of Illusion came and attempted to break his will. Finally, Gautama Buddha's wisdom overpowered the illusions and turned the weapons of demons into flowers.



While at Bodh Gaya, followers will visit the Maha Bodhi temple. Within are images and relics of Buddha which are used for worship. The most noteworthy of these images is the gigantic 1700-year-old image of Buddha posing on the ground. This image is positioned towards the exact same direction Buddha was facing when he reached enlightenment. Moving on, Buddhists will also pay homage to the Bodhi Tree--the exact same tree Buddha was sitting next to. According to Buddhism, Buddha sat there for seven days even after reaching enlightenment.



Photo Credits:
Carol Mitchell on Flickr

stachelig on Flickr