BIHAR : PLACE OF ENLITENMENT

ENLITENMENT :  Specifically, it’s a perfect understanding of the Four Noble Truths (basically, that suffering is caused by clinging to impermanent things, and that there’s a way to end suffering) and knowledge of karma and one’s past lives such that the cycle of rebirth ends.
Buddha, meaning 'one who is awake' in the sense of having 'woken up to reality' was the title first given to Lord Buddha. It was about 2500 years ago when Prince Siddhartha Gautam left all the worldly pleasures to attain the reality of life, and became the Buddha - the enlightened one. It was a state in which the Buddha gained an insight into the deepest workings of life and therefore into the cause of human suffering, the problem that had set Him on his spiritual quest in the first place.
The Right Path and Immortality
For 45 years, Buddha spread His message of spiritual life to not only His disciples but the common people as well. He gave emphasis on the purification of mind, heart and ultimately, soul by following the Eightfold Path, the Four Noble Truths and the Five Preceptions. This path included the right speech, understanding, determination, deeds, efforts, awareness, thinking and living. As per Buddhism, if one follows these paths, one could overcome desires, which were the reason for all the grieves and miseries.
After spreading His message to the world successfully, Buddha died at the age of 80 years in 483 BCE. at Kushinagar, India. Today, Buddhism has a strong following in various Asian countries and is gradually finding its feet in some of the western countries as well.
Now the magnificent Maha Bodhi temple in Bodhgaya is an architectural amalgamation of many cultures and pilgrimage to many . The temple bears the stamp of the architecture of the Gupta Dynasty and subsequent ages. On the walls of the temple, one sees Buddha carved in different aspects, and in the sanctum sanctorum, a colossal Buddha, is seen touching the ground, which has mythological significance in the Buddhist lores. The temple carries inscriptions recording the visits of pilgrims from Sri Lanka, China and Mayanmar. In the 7th and 10th Centuries AD Hieun Tsang, the Chinese traveler, also visited the temple in the 7th Century. Finally a visit to the Bodhgaya Archaeological Museum is a must for a religious art lover as it initiates one into the age of Buddha’s centered art forms. The Buddhist sculpture collection from 1st Century BC to 11th Century AD is housed here at one place.Reflected through several art forms, it is more like a treasure house of artistic expression.
 
Bodhgaya, in the state of Bihar, reckoned as the most important Buddhist pilgrimage center, is the place where Lord Sakyamuni (Gautam Buddha) entered into mediation after being moved by the sufferings ofmankind. The giant Bodhi Tree (Peepal) that we see today is believed to have grown from the original Bodhi Tree under which, sitting on the raised platform, Prince Siddharth mediated and finally attained Nirvana. Monasteries raised here by Burmese, Tibetan, Chinese, Japanese and Thai devotees, in their native architectural styles, are worth visiting. Then there is Chaukramana, the Jewel Walk, where it is believed that the Buddha strolled while in deep thought.
Bodhgaya is 245 kms. from Varanasi and 178 kms. from Patna via Rajgir and Nalanda. A place of religious sanctity for Hindus, Gaya lies 12 kms. from Bodhgaya between Pretshila and Ramshila hills and is washed by the shores of river Phalgu. Gaya has a large number of Buddhist temples also. While Buddha was doing severe penance, he became weak, tired and hungry. He rested under a tree, where he was offered food by a condemned village woman named Sujata. To everybody’s surprise Buddha accepted her offerings. Legend has it that after having consumed the food, Buddha’s countenance assumed a divine glow and he realized the Supreme Truth; that neither extreme self indulgence nor self mortification is ever required. What is needed is to follow the Middle Path (Department of tourism). Sujata Sthan or Durgeshwari Temple stands as a symbol commemorating this event.