Bodhgaya Tour from Varanasi 2 Days 1 Night

Pickup from Varanasi Airport/ Railways Station/ Hotel located in Varanasi after your breakfast/ Lunch and drive to Bodhgaya. [250 KM/ 5 hrs]

Day 1: Varanasi to Bodhgaya
• Departure: Early morning departure from Varanasi by road (approx. 5 hours).

• Arrival at Bodhgaya: Check into your hotel and freshen up.
• Afternoon Tour:

o Visit the Mahabodhi Temple – A UNESCO World Heritage site where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment.
o Explore the Bodhi Tree, under which Buddha meditated.
o Visit the Great Buddha Statue, Thai Monastery, and Japanese Temple.
• Evening: Enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of Bodhgaya and visit other monasteries around the area.
• Overnight: Stay at a comfortable hotel in Bodhgaya.

Day 2:

• Morning: After breakfast, continue your exploration of Bodhgaya by visiting:

o Sujahta Stupa – a memorial for the milkmaid Sujata, who offered food to Buddha.

o Dungeshwari Cave Temples – where Buddha meditated before attaining enlightenment.

• Afternoon: After completing the Bodhgaya tour, either:

o Drive back to Varanasi (approx. 5 hours) or

o Drop-off at Gaya Airport / Railway Station for onward travel.

Mahabodhi Temple: Bodhgaya is the home to the ancient temple of Lord Buddha, located just east of the Bodhi tree. The temple's architecture is superb and has a beautiful stone railing around it. The Maha Bodhi temple has a 150 feet high tower, which contains a gilded colossal image of the Buddha in the 'bhumisparsha mudra' or touching the ground pose. The original shrine here is believed to have been raised by an Indian emperor Ashoka. Depicted on the walls of the temple are scenes from Buddha's life. The basement of the present temple is 15m square, 15m in length as well as in breadth and its height is 52m which rises in the form of a slender pyramid tapering off from a square platform. A museum in the vicinity has gold, bronze and stone images of the Buddha.

It was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2002

Bodhi tree is an auspicious ficus tree, the fifth generation plant of the original one, under which prince Siddhartha had attained enlightenment or the perfect knowledge. Under the tree is the Vajrasan, the platform on which Siddhartha had sat in meditation. Close to Vajrasan is Buddhapada, the footprints of the Buddha on stone and Chaukramana, the Jewel Walk, where it is believed that the Buddha strolled while in deep thought. Many sacred trees in India and other countries are originally raised from seeds brought from the ancient Bodh Gaya tree. Bhikkhuni Sanghamitra, daughter of the Indian emperor, Ashoka had taken a shoot of the original Bodhi tree to Sri Lanka in the 3rd century BCE, where it was planted by the Sri Lankan ruler, Devanampiya Tissa at the Mahavira monastery in Anuradhapura, and is still a sacred place for the Buddhists.