Located along the Nairanjana River, 15 km from Gaya and about 96 km (60 mi) from Patna, the capital city of Bihar, Bodh Gaya, containing a descendant of the Bodhi Tree, under which the Buddha gained Bodhi or enlightenment and the associated Mahabodhi Temple, is one of the main four pilgrimage places in India related to the life of Gautama Buddha and reckoned as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Apart from the temple and the Bodhi Tree, the 4.8-hectare (11.9-acre) complex, containing the Animeshlochana Chaitya, the Lotus Pond and several other structures subsequently built by the Buddhist devotees surrounded by numerous ancient Votive Stupas, is regarded as the greatest remains of the 5th-6th century A.D in the Indian sub-continent belonging to this period of antiquity.

Legend says, Siddhatha Gautam, whose father was a chief of the Shakya clan, was born around 567 BC, in Kapilavastu near Lumbini, just below the Himalayan foothills. He grew up in princely luxury, shielded from the outside world, trained in archery, swordsmanship, wrestling and married Gopa, who gave birth to a son. But one day he was deeply hurt by the sight of a sick man, a very old man and a corpse being carried to the burning grounds, signifying that all the living beings are subject to sickness, old age and death. Determined to find a way out of the sufferings caused by the infinite cycle of birth, death and rebirth, he abandoned his family and his luxurious existence, travelled many places and met several holy persons, but nothing could pacify his troubled mind. Finally, he reached the forested banks of the River Nairanjana, near the city of Gaya and sat in meditation under a Peepul tree. According to Buddhist scriptures, after three days and three nights of continuous meditation, Siddhartha attained enlightenment to become Buddha and the Peepul tree came to be known as Bodhi Tree.

During the days of Buddha, Bodh Gaya was a small village and it is believed that after he gave his first sermon in a deer park in Sarnath, his followers started to flock at the holy site of the Bodhi Tree to pay homage, worship and meditate. Around 250 BC, about 200 years after the Buddha attained enlightenment, Emperor Ashoke of the Maurya Dynasty visited Bodh Gaya and built the first temple on the holy site, which was lost long back, except the Diamond Throne or Vajrasana, built at the foot of the Bodhi Tree. Additional structures in the area, especially the columns with pot-shaped bases found around the Diamond throne, are considered to date to the 1st Century BC, towards the end of the Sunga Period. The present temple estimated to be dated the 6th century AD, is one of the earliest Buddhist temples built entirely in brick and is considered to have influenced the development of brick architecture over the centuries. However, the temple fell into disuse in the 13th century AD, after the conquest of this region by the Delhi Sultanate. Much later, during the 19th century, the Burmese kings made certain repairs which were continued by the British in 1880-84.

Built in the Gupta architectural style, the 180 feet (55 m) tall pyramidal main tower or shikhara of the Mahabodhi Temple, equipped with several layers on niches, adorned with statues of Buddha, arch motifs and fine engravings, is topped with an umbrella-like dome. The main tower is accompanied by four smaller but identical towers at each corner, also topped with umbrella-like domes and surrounded by a thirty-six foot high temple wall. The east-facing temple consists a small forecourt with niches on either side containing statues of the Buddha, from where a doorway leads into a small hall, beyond which lies the sanctum, containing a five feet high gilded statue of the seated Buddha, holding earth as witness to his achieved Enlightenment. The main hall of the temple, located above the sanctum, also contains a statue of Buddha, where senior monks gather to meditate.

However, the most important of the sacred places in the temple complex is the giant Bodhi Tree, under which Buddha had his enlightenment and next to it a platform attached to the main temple made of polished sandstone known as Vajrasana or the Diamond Throne, originally installed by Emperor Asoka to mark the spot where Buddha sat and meditated.

The temple complex also contains several places associated with the events that immediately followed the Buddha’s Enlightenment, which include the Animeshlochan Chaitya, also referred to as the Jewel Walk as many believe that Lord Buddha spent seven days, the second week of his enlightenment, walking between Animeshlochan Chaitya and Bodhi tree. The other important sites in the complex include the Ratnaghar Chaitya, the Ratnachakrama, a pillar which marks the site of the Ajapala Nigrodh Tree, under which Buddha meditated during his Fifth Week and the Lotus Pond.

Apart from the temple complex, another interesting place in Bodhgaya is the Great Buddha Statue, located in a garden at the end of Temple Street. The 61 feet (18.5 m) tall huge statue depicts Lord Buddha seated in a meditation or dhyan mudra on a lotus in the open air, surrounded by smaller sculptures of his ten disciples, five on each side. Designed by V Ganapati Sthapati and constructed from a combination of sandstone, the foundation stone for the statue was laid in 1982, but it took seven years to complete the project and was consecrated on 18 November 1989 by the 14th Dalai Lama.