The Mahabodhi Temple is the most sacred site in Buddhism — the place where Siddhartha Gautama sat under the Bodhi Tree and attained enlightenment 2,500 years ago. The soaring sandstone tower, rising about 55 metres, was built in the 5th or 6th century on the foundations of an earlier shrine erected by Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BC. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002.
The inner sanctum holds a gilded image of the Buddha in the bhumisparsha mudra — the earth-touching gesture he made as he called the earth to witness his enlightenment. Behind the temple, the sacred Bodhi Tree (Ficus religiosa) stands enclosed by a stone railing decorated with carvings of lotus flowers and geese. Butter lamps burn day and night around the temple, monks chant in shifts, and pilgrims from Thailand, Japan, Tibet, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar move in constant devotional circuits. The atmosphere, particularly at dawn and dusk, is extraordinary.
The site is open daily from before sunrise to around 9pm. Remove your shoes at the entrance. Modest dress is required.