Historical background
The history of this small town dates back to the 7th century BC, as it formed a part of the first small kingdoms in India. It came into the limelight in the 6th century BC, when Sidharth or Gautama, the Kshatriya prince of the Lichavi tribe in Lumbini, left his palace and renounced all luxury in favor of finding the answer to life. He was deeply moved when, one day, he happened to step out of his sheltered royal life and witnessed the outside world and was saw an old person, a sick man, and a funeral procession. His charioteer told him that all this was a part of life. Then Gautama saw a saint and was perplexed by the calmness on his face. The charioteer told him that the saint had renounced all materialistic things and therefore he was content and happy. This incident left an indelible mark on the mind of the young prince, and one night he left his beautiful wife and infant son and began his journey to attain Truth.
Gautama left his palace at the age of twenty-nine. He wandered from place to place and did heavy penance, including putting his body to rigorous punishment. Finally, he attained Enlightenment while meditating under a Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya at the age of thirty-five. After attaining Enlightenment, he came to be known as the Buddha, or the Enlightened One, and began to spread his message of love and peace.
Slowly, his religion spread and took in its folds, the great Maurayan ruler, King, Ashoka, who built a small shrine here in the 3rd century BC. Subsequent rulers left their mark on this shrine, which finally took the shape of the Mahabodhi temple and this still stands today, as the main attraction for devotees from all over.
Historical Background
Places to visit
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