Bodh Gaya is the holiest site in the Buddhist religion and the only Bihari pilgrim­age site that attracts non-Buddhist tourism. One of the most significant events in the history of Asia took place here in the 6th century BC, when Prince Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment under the famous pipal tree, a descendent of which stands on the same spot today.

Buddhism in Bodh Gaya, however, is new and mostly foreign. Although Bud dhist monasteries thrived here long ago, they were left to sink into the mud after Buddhism faded out of India in the 12th century.

It wasn't until the 19th century that Bodh Gaya was reborn as an important religious center, when British-led archaeological teams persuaded monks from Sri Lanka and Burma to raise the funds necessary to restore the Mahabodhi Temple to its former glory.

The steady flow of wealthy tourists has elevated Bodh Gaya to a level of eco noniic prosperity unmatched in Bihar. The state's usual problems of robbery and violence mostly end within the city limits, although bandits have boarded buses al night, between Gaya and Bodh Gaya. The winter (Dec.-Feb.) is the busiest time to visit, when students, pilgrims, and monks (the Dalai Lama included) congregate here. The monasteries fill up, visiting teachers offer meditation courses, tent res taurants abound, and monks from around the world intone sutras in monasteries and temples built in their own national styles. By April, however, the crowds thin out, many of the restaurants and hotels close down, and the streets of Bodh Gay;i resume the air of meditative tranquility that has reigned for thousands of years.