Bodhgaya, India as a Buddhist Cultural Heritage Site: A Journey from Pilgrimage to Tourism

Bodhgaya, a small town of 50,000 people in the state of Bihar, is one of the four key sites of Buddhism which every Buddhist aspires to visit in their lifetime. It is located 115 km south of Patna, the capital of Bihar and 16 km from the district headquarters, Gaya. About 2,550 years ago, at Bodhgaya, Siddhartha Gautama attained his enlightenment under a large peepal tree, later known as Bodhi Tree. During the time of Buddha, Bodhgaya was known as Uruvilva or Uruvela and covered by forest. Apart from the Bodhi Tree and Vajrasana (diamond throne), the central attraction of Bodhgaya is Mahabodhi Temple Complex which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002 considering its historical, cultural, and religious significance. The history of the Mahabodhi Temple Complex can be traced back to the period of Ashoka who addressed the place of Buddha’s enlightenment as Sambodhi and visited the site in 260 BC. In the seventh century the temple was known as Mahabodhi. Around the twelfth century the temple was completely ruined and was not restored up until the nineteenth century by the British colonial government. Since the declaration of Mahabodhi Temple as a World Heritage Site, both public and private sectors have taken much interest in developing Bodhgaya as a world class tourist site. The aim of this chapter is to trace this transformation of Bodhgaya from a revered Buddhist pilgrim site to a site of cultural heritage and tourism.