We flew from San Francisco to Taipei, then to Bangkok, and lastly to Gaya, India. After 30 hours in transit, we were so happy to finally arrive. We are staying at the Mahayana hotel which is run by Tibetans and is clean and quiet.
January is a peak month for pilgrims to visit Bodhgaya, where the Mahabodhi Temple is the main attraction. It's the location where the Buddha reached enlightenment.
It is here that a large Tibetan Buddhist celebration for world peace, the Nyingma Menlon Chenmo festival is happening. The Mahabodhi temple is decorated and filled with monks chanting and praying.
The festival is so large, it seems that there are more Tibetans and Bhutanese here than Indians. The contingent of monks crosses generations and includes many young monks.
We also visited the 80 foot Buddha statue that was built by the Japanese and inaugurated by the Dalai Lama.
Bodhgaya is filled with temples and monasteries from all the major Buddhist countries. This is the Bhutanese temple.
And this is one of the Japanese temples here.
The temple had this large bell that we heard ring at noon, it is very low pitched and loud.
January is a peak month for pilgrims to visit Bodhgaya, where the Mahabodhi Temple is the main attraction. It's the location where the Buddha reached enlightenment.
It is here that a large Tibetan Buddhist celebration for world peace, the Nyingma Menlon Chenmo festival is happening. The Mahabodhi temple is decorated and filled with monks chanting and praying.
The festival is so large, it seems that there are more Tibetans and Bhutanese here than Indians. The contingent of monks crosses generations and includes many young monks.
We also visited the 80 foot Buddha statue that was built by the Japanese and inaugurated by the Dalai Lama.
Bodhgaya is filled with temples and monasteries from all the major Buddhist countries. This is the Bhutanese temple.
And this is one of the Japanese temples here.
