Gaya

Gaya is one of the sacred cities of the Hindu world, standing beside the Phalgu River in the old country of Magadha. Pilgrims come to make offerings for their ancestors, especially the rite of pinda dana. The Vishnupad temple marks a footprint revered as that of Vishnu, while the riverbank and surrounding sacred places form part of the pilgrimage landscape. South of Gaya lies Bodh Gaya, where Buddhist tradition places the enlightenment of the Buddha beneath the Bodhi tree. Its Mahabodhi temple became a destination for devotees from across Asia.

The fortunes of these neighbouring sacred centres changed over the centuries. The Mahabodhi temple suffered neglect after the decline of Buddhism in the region, but pilgrims continued to visit: Tibetan travellers recorded their journeys there in the eighteenth century. At Gaya itself, the Vishnupad temple was rebuilt in the late eighteenth century under the patronage of Ahilyabai Holkar. The enduring rites for the dead and the memory of the Buddha’s awakening made the district a meeting place for distinct religious traditions long after the ancient kingdoms of Magadha had passed.