Gaya, India
Encyclopedia
Gaya is the second largest city of Bihar
, India, and it is also the headquarters of Gaya District
.
Gaya is 100 kilometers south of Patna
, the capital city of Bihar. Situated on the banks of Falgu River
(Niranjana, as mentioned in Ramayana
), it is a place sanctified by both the Hindu
and the Buddhist religions. It is surrounded by small rocky hills (Mangla-Gauri
, Shringa-Sthan, Ram-Shila and Brahmayoni) by three sides and the river flowing on the fourth (eastern) side. The city has a mix of natural surroundings, age old buildings and narrow bylanes.
]
Gaya derives its name from the mythological
demon Gayasur (which literally means Gaya the demon), demon (asur, a Sanskrit
word) and Gaya. Lord Vishnu
killed Gayasur, the holy demon by using the pressure of his foot over him. This incident transformed Gayasur into the series of rocky hills that make up the landscape of the Gaya city. Gaya was so holy that he had the power to absolve the sins of those who touched him or looked at him; after his death many people have flocked to Gaya to perform Shraddha sacrifices on his body to absolve the sins of their ancestors. Gods and goddesses had promised to live on Gayasur's body after he died, and the hilltop protuberances of Gaya are surmounted by temples to various gods and goddesses. These hilltop temples at Rama Shila, Mangla Gauri
, Shringa Sthan and Brahmayoni are part of the pilgrimage circuit, and grand staircases have been built up to most of them. In Vishnu Pad Temple, Guruji Shri Vishnukant Mishra Ji is the main "priest" of this temple and Shri Shashikant Mishra is the eldest son of Guruji.
and temples line the banks of the sacred Falgu River. Trees such as pipal trees and Akshayavat
, the undying banyan
, are especially sacred. The Mangla Gauri
shrine is marked by two rounded stones that symbolize the breasts of the mythological Sati
, the first wife of Lord Shiva. The most popular temple today is Vishnupad Temple, a place along the Falgu River, marked by a footprint of Vishnu incised into a block of basalt, that marks the act of Lord Vishnu subduing Gayasur by placing his foot on Gayasur's chest. Brahmins have been the traditional priests at Vishnupad Mandir in Gaya as Gayawal Pandas and in the adjoining districts like Hazaribagh
. The present day temple was rebuilt by Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar, the ruler of Indore
, in the 18th century. Buddhist
tradition regards the footstep in the Vishnupad Temple as a footstep of Buddha
(who is regarded as an Avatar
of Vishnu by Hindus).
Gaya is significant to Hindus from the point of view of salvation to the souls of ancestors (a ritual called pinda daan). According to Ramayana, when Lord Rama came to Gaya along with Sita
for pitripaksha (or to perform pindadanam), Sita cursed the Falgu River following some disobedience on the part of the river. Ramayana states that on account of this curse, Falgu River lost its water, and the river is simply a vast stretch of sand dunes.
At the same time Sita blessed a banyan tree to be immortal. This tree is known as Akshyavat. Akshyavat is combination of two words Akshya (which never decay) and Vat (Banyan tree). Once a year banyan trees shed leaves, but this particular tree never sheds its leaves which keeps it green even in times of drought.
For Buddhists, Gaya is an important pilgrimage place because it was at Brahmayoni hill that Buddha preached the Fire Sermon
(Adittapariyaya Sutta) to a thousand former fire-worshipping ascetics, who all became enlightened while listening to this discourse. At that time, the hill was called Gayasisa.
. It is situated in heart of the Gaya city. It is approx 200 yrs. old. It's also famous for Shabina (special worship on 27th night of Ramadan
) and Tabligh etc.
order Hazrat Makhdoom Syed Shah Durwesh Ashraf settled here in around Ninth Century Hijri and established Khanqah-e-Ashrafia. A large number of Muslims and people from other faith, from all over the world visit the Dargah of this great Sufi Saint. Urs of Hazrat Makhdoom Durwesh Ashraf is celebrated every year from 10th-12th of Islamic month of Shabaan.Prof. Syed Shah Shahid Hussain Ashraf is the present Sajjada Nashin of Khanquah Durweshiya Ashrafia Chishtia,Dargah Bitho Sharif.
Shrine of Hazrat Mosizuddin Ahmad R.A-
The tomb of Hazrat is near by Phalgu river in Manpur toun.It is one of the most notable pilgrimage site in the city
, Nalanda
, Vaishali
, Patliputra
) had been the citadel of knowledge for the ancient world. These centers of knowledge further flourished under the rule of dynasties like the Mauryans who ruled from Patliputra
(modern Patna
) and covered the area beyond the boundaries of the Indian subcontinent. During this period, Gaya was a part of the Magadh region.
Great nationalist and leader of Kisan Andolan, Swami Sahajanand Saraswati
established an ashram at Neyamatpur
, Gaya (Bihar) which later became the centre of freedom struggle in Bihar
. His close associate was Vir Keshwar Singh of Parihas. All the prominent leaders of Indian National Congress
visited there frequently to meet Pandit Yadunandan (Jadunandan) Sharma
, the leader of Kisan Andolan who resided in the ashram set up by Swamiji. Pandit Yadunandan (Jadunandan) Sharma
became the undisputed leader of peasants in the Gaya district
and second in command to the legendary freedom fighter and peasant leader Swami Sahajanand Saraswati
. Gaya has also immensely contributed in the Indian Independence Movement
.
During the independence movement, the All India session of the Congress was held under the presidency of Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das in 1922, which was attended by great illumanaries and prominent leaders of the Indian Independence Movement
, such as Mahatma Gandhi
, Dr. Rajendra Prasad
,Dr Anugrah Narayan Sinha
, Sardar Patel, Maulana Azad, Nehru and Sri Krishna Sinha
.
Air: The nearest airport is Gaya Airport
9 km and Patna Airport 135 km. Indian Airlines, Indigo, Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines connect Patna to Calcutta, Bombay, Delhi, Ranchi, Lucknow and various other cities.
Rail: The nearest railway station is Gaya (5 km).
Road: Bodhgaya is well connected by road to Gaya (17 km), Nalanda (101 km), Rajgir (78 km), Patna (135 km), Varanasi (252 km), Calcutta (495 km)
Local Transport: City Bus, Taxis, Tongas, Auto Rickshaws, Cycle Rickshaws are available.
Bus : Regular direct bus services are available from Gaya, Patna, Nalanda, Rajgir, Varanasi,Ranchi,Tata(Jamshedpur),Kolkatta,Dhanbad. Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation run buses from Patna- Bodhgaya route twice a day.
(NH-2, which has undergone a revival under The Golden Quadrilateral project) is about 30 km from Gaya. Thus, Gaya is well connected to Patna
, Ranchi
, Jamshedpur, Bokaro
, Rourkela
, Hazaribag, Kolkata
, Budaun
, Bareilly
, Varanasi
, Allahabad
, Kanpur, Delhi
, Amritsar
, and to the Pakistani cities of Lahore
and Peshawar
. The highway connecting Gaya to Patna, Gaya to Nawada, Rajgir and Bihar Sharif are well maintained.
after Patna. It is a junction
and is connected to all the four metropolis New Delhi, Kolkata
, Mumbai
and Chennai
through Important Broad Gauge Routes (direct trains). Now it is also directly connected to Guwahati (N-E India) and Chennai (South India). There is a direct train, Mahabodhi Express from New Delhi to Gaya daily. It takes around 15 hours to reach Gaya from New Delhi by train.
It has been announced in the 2009–2010 Railway Budget that Gaya Jn would be developed as a World Class Railway Station in Public Private Partnership mode along with 49 other stations throughout the nation. As a matter of fact Gaya Jn was also included in the list of 22 stations across the country to be developed as World Class along with Patna Jn during the tenure of Lalu Prasad as the Railway minister but nothing significant occurred in this regard. Also it has not even developed as a Model station till date in spite of its announcement since a decade.
There are direct trains from Gaya to other important stations in India like Delhi
, Kolkata
, Mumbai
, Chennai
, Guwahati
, Ranchi
, Bokaro
, Varanasi
, Lucknow
, Kota
, Kanpur, Allahabad
, Agra
, Bareilly
, Mathura, Jabalpur, Bhopal, Indore
, Nagpur
, Puri
, Ahmedabad
, Jodhpur
, Amritsar
, Dehradun
, Kalka
, Jammu
, Gwalior, etc. There are also two other broad gauge train lines from Gaya, one to Patna
and the other to Kiul
.
is the only international airport in Bihar
and Jharkhand
taken together. It is an international airport connected to Colombo
, Sri Lanka through two airline operators; Bangkok
, Thailand; Singapore
, and Paro
, Bhutan. It is said to be being developed as a stand-by to the Kolkata airport
. Gaya Airport is served by Indian Airlines for domestic flights and Sri Lankan Airlines, Mihin Lanka
, Drukair, Jet airways
and Indian Airlines for international flights. Thai Airways
flies non stop between Bangkok and Gaya. The distance of Gaya airport to National Heritage site "Bodh Gaya" is about 5 Kilometers.
. The other special preparations found in Gaya are typically traditional Bihari food. The most popular of them include sattu, litti, pittha, pua, marua-ka-roti, bari-dal, sattu-ka-roti, baigan-bharta, sukhaota, etc.
, Kesaria Peda, Lai, Anarsa
of Ramana road and tekari road are the most popular sweets that bear the trademark of Gaya.
Tilkut being the most popular of them is prepared using til
or sesame
seeds (Sesamum Indicum) and jaggery or sugar. It is a seasonal (winter) sweet and only the karigars (workers) from Gaya are believed to impart the real taste of Tilkut. One can find Tilkuts carrying the label "Ramna, Gaya" and "Tekari road, Gaya"even in far flung places like Kolkata and Delhi. Ramna and Tekari Road are the areas in the city where every other house is a Tilkut factory.
Kesaria peda is yet another delicious sweet prepared from khoya (solid milk cream) and kesar
(saffron
). The Chowk
area of the city specializes in Kesaria Peda production.
There are several varieties of Lai available in Bihar, including Lai from Gaya. The main component of this Lai is Ram dana seeds. These ram danas are processed and mixed with koya and sugar to give rise to a disk shaped sweet.
Anarsa is also based on khoya, but is deep fried and processed with sugar. Anarsa comes in two shapes 'thin disk' and 'spherical'. The sweet is finally embedded with til (sesame) toppings.
These sweets are dry and hence easily packagable, preserved, and transported, unlike the Bengal
i sweets which are soaked in sugar syrups. There is a tradition among the residents to gift the visitors with these sweets when they depart, as a token of love.
Beside this in Gaya one should must try roadside eateries like Aloo ka Chaloo & Chaat. Aloo ka Chaloo is made up of boiled potatoes sprinkled with red chilly powder and jeera powder, salt and tamarind water. One can easily find such joints outside schools and colleges as it is favourite of kids and teenagers.
Sabudana-Badam Bhoonja is a dry snack that is unique to the Gaya city. It is a mixture of fried sabudana (sago) and fried badam (groundnut
or moongfali is called badam or sometime chiniya-badam in Bihar) along with salt (both white and black), chilly powder and jeera (cumin seeds) powder. The mobile bhoonja vendors shouting humorous slogans can be found in every bylane of the Gaya city during the twilight hours.
Chanajor garam is one of the most spicy snacks made up of black gram and traditional(typical)masala,being served with lemon juice and typical powder.
Most of the government-run schools in Gaya (notably Zila School, Haridas Seminary – also known as Town School, Theosophical Model School, Gaya High School, Anugrah Kanya Vidayalaya, Mahaveer School, Qasmi High School and Hadi Hashmi School, Government Girls High School) are affiliated to Bihar School Examination Board. There are two Central Schools (Kendriya Vidyalaya) affiliated with the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, New Delhi. Most of the private schools are affiliated to ICSE
and CBSE boards.The major ones being Creane Memorial school, Banshi Dhar Shishu Niketan, Nazareth Academy, D.A.V Public School Medical Road, Gyan Bharti Public school, D.A.V Public School Cantonment Area, D.A.V. Public School Gaya-Nawada Road, Shatabdi Public School (Katari Hill Road), Greenfield Public School, Sir Syed Memorial School
Karma Bhadeya, Elegant Public School, Iqra Public School Formerly Iqra Academy (New Karimganj)Nagmatia Affiliated to CBSE Delhi,MDA Public School (Bitho Sharif) and many more. Creane memorial School is established with a vision of providing quality education to students. The school is affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) . Creane Memorial High School is dedicated to provide world class educational facilities to the students and offers education from classes Nursery - Class Xll . To ensure the complete development of the children, Creane Memorial High School encourages the students to take part in various co-curricular activities held in school such as music, dance, arts and sports. The campus of Creane Memorial High School is well equipped with the modern infrastructural facilities such as spacious ventilated class rooms with the latest teaching aids, rich library, state-of-the-art computer labs, science labs and play ground. Nazareth Academy is one of the oldest schools, which is managed by a US based congregation called 'Sisters of Charity of Nazareth'. The government-run public schools lack many facilities, but are the only options for the poor who cannot afford the fees in private schools.Gyan Niketan NGO Non Government Organization charitable school is a single school in north side of Bodhgaya who provides free education to 200 students surrounded by more than five villages.
The only university at Gaya is Magadh University
(largest university of Bihar) located near Bodhgaya established by educationist and the then Education Minister S N Sinha. Gaya has several colleges with graduate and post-graduate courses offered in sciences, arts, commerce, management and Computer Applications. The well known ones include Gaya College (NAAC accredited with Grade-A), Anugrah Memorial College, Jagjivan College, Mirza Ghalib College
. Gautam Buddha Mahila College (GBM College) is exclusively meant for women.
Anugraha Narayan Magadh Medical College and Hospital (ANMMCH) is the medical college in Gaya. Gaya has an Industrial Training Institute for vocational education located on Bodhgaya Road
Computer Education
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
, India, and it is also the headquarters of Gaya District
Gaya District
Gaya is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state, India. The district is having a common boundary with the Jharkhand state in the south. Gaya city is its largest city and the district headquarters.-History:...
.
Gaya is 100 kilometers south of Patna
Patna
Paṭnā , is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and the second largest city in Eastern India . Patna is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world...
, the capital city of Bihar. Situated on the banks of Falgu River
Falgu River
The Falgu River which flows past Gaya, India in the Indian state of Bihar, is a sacred river for Hindus.-Course:...
(Niranjana, as mentioned in Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
), it is a place sanctified by both the Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
and the Buddhist religions. It is surrounded by small rocky hills (Mangla-Gauri
Mangla Gauri
The Mangla Gauri temple in Gaya, Bihar, India has been mentioned in Padma Purana, Vayu Purana and Agni Purana and in other scriptures and tantric works. The present temple dates back to 15th century. The shrine is dedicated to Shakti or the mother Goddess in the predominantly Vaishnavite pilgrimage...
, Shringa-Sthan, Ram-Shila and Brahmayoni) by three sides and the river flowing on the fourth (eastern) side. The city has a mix of natural surroundings, age old buildings and narrow bylanes.
Importance to Hindu Religion
Gaya derives its name from the mythological
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
demon Gayasur (which literally means Gaya the demon), demon (asur, a Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
word) and Gaya. Lord Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
killed Gayasur, the holy demon by using the pressure of his foot over him. This incident transformed Gayasur into the series of rocky hills that make up the landscape of the Gaya city. Gaya was so holy that he had the power to absolve the sins of those who touched him or looked at him; after his death many people have flocked to Gaya to perform Shraddha sacrifices on his body to absolve the sins of their ancestors. Gods and goddesses had promised to live on Gayasur's body after he died, and the hilltop protuberances of Gaya are surmounted by temples to various gods and goddesses. These hilltop temples at Rama Shila, Mangla Gauri
Mangla Gauri
The Mangla Gauri temple in Gaya, Bihar, India has been mentioned in Padma Purana, Vayu Purana and Agni Purana and in other scriptures and tantric works. The present temple dates back to 15th century. The shrine is dedicated to Shakti or the mother Goddess in the predominantly Vaishnavite pilgrimage...
, Shringa Sthan and Brahmayoni are part of the pilgrimage circuit, and grand staircases have been built up to most of them. In Vishnu Pad Temple, Guruji Shri Vishnukant Mishra Ji is the main "priest" of this temple and Shri Shashikant Mishra is the eldest son of Guruji.
Holy Sites in Gaya
Sacred places in Gaya correspond to physical features, most of which occur naturally. GhatsGhats
As used in many parts of South Asia, the term ghat refers to a series of steps leading down to a water body, usually a holy river. In Bengali-speaking regions, this set of stairs can lead down to something as small as a pond or as large as a major river....
and temples line the banks of the sacred Falgu River. Trees such as pipal trees and Akshayavat
Akshayavat
Akshayavat or Akshay Vat is a sacred fig tree mentioned in the Hindu mythology.According to a legend, once the sage Markandeya asked Lord Narayana to show him a specimen of the divine power...
, the undying banyan
Banyan
A banyan is a fig that starts its life as an epiphyte when its seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host tree...
, are especially sacred. The Mangla Gauri
Mangla Gauri
The Mangla Gauri temple in Gaya, Bihar, India has been mentioned in Padma Purana, Vayu Purana and Agni Purana and in other scriptures and tantric works. The present temple dates back to 15th century. The shrine is dedicated to Shakti or the mother Goddess in the predominantly Vaishnavite pilgrimage...
shrine is marked by two rounded stones that symbolize the breasts of the mythological Sati
Dakshayani
Dākshāyani or Satī is a Hindu Goddess of marital felicity and longevity. She is worshipped particularly by Hindu women to seek the long life of their husbands...
, the first wife of Lord Shiva. The most popular temple today is Vishnupad Temple, a place along the Falgu River, marked by a footprint of Vishnu incised into a block of basalt, that marks the act of Lord Vishnu subduing Gayasur by placing his foot on Gayasur's chest. Brahmins have been the traditional priests at Vishnupad Mandir in Gaya as Gayawal Pandas and in the adjoining districts like Hazaribagh
Hazaribagh
Hazaribagh is a city and a municipality in Hazaribagh district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It is the divisional headquarters of North Chotanagpur division. It is famous as a health resort and for Hazaribagh National Park ....
. The present day temple was rebuilt by Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar, the ruler of Indore
Indore
Indore is one of the major city in India, the largest city and commercial center of the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India. Indore is located 190 km west of the state capital Bhopal. According to the 2011 Indian census, Indore city has a population of 1,960,631...
, in the 18th century. Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
tradition regards the footstep in the Vishnupad Temple as a footstep of Buddha
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
(who is regarded as an Avatar
Avatar
In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....
of Vishnu by Hindus).
SITA
SITA is a multinational information technology company specialising in providing IT and telecommunication services to the air transport industry...
for pitripaksha (or to perform pindadanam), Sita cursed the Falgu River following some disobedience on the part of the river. Ramayana states that on account of this curse, Falgu River lost its water, and the river is simply a vast stretch of sand dunes.
At the same time Sita blessed a banyan tree to be immortal. This tree is known as Akshyavat. Akshyavat is combination of two words Akshya (which never decay) and Vat (Banyan tree). Once a year banyan trees shed leaves, but this particular tree never sheds its leaves which keeps it green even in times of drought.
For Buddhists, Gaya is an important pilgrimage place because it was at Brahmayoni hill that Buddha preached the Fire Sermon
Fire Sermon
The Ādittapariyāya Sutta or, more simply, Āditta Sutta is a discourse from the Pali Canon, popularly known as the Fire Sermon...
(Adittapariyaya Sutta) to a thousand former fire-worshipping ascetics, who all became enlightened while listening to this discourse. At that time, the hill was called Gayasisa.
Jama Masjid
The largest mosque in BiharBihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
. It is situated in heart of the Gaya city. It is approx 200 yrs. old. It's also famous for Shabina (special worship on 27th night of Ramadan
Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which lasts 29 or 30 days. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours and is intended to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and...
) and Tabligh etc.
Shrine of Hazrat Makhdoom Syed Shah Durwesh Ashraf
Bitho Sharif (10 km from main city) situated on Gaya-Patna route, is one of the notable pilgrimage place. The great Sufi saint of Chishtia-AshrafiAshrafi
Ashrafi was gold coin issued by Muslim dynasties in Middle East, Central Asia and South Asia.- External links :* ] ]...
order Hazrat Makhdoom Syed Shah Durwesh Ashraf settled here in around Ninth Century Hijri and established Khanqah-e-Ashrafia. A large number of Muslims and people from other faith, from all over the world visit the Dargah of this great Sufi Saint. Urs of Hazrat Makhdoom Durwesh Ashraf is celebrated every year from 10th-12th of Islamic month of Shabaan.Prof. Syed Shah Shahid Hussain Ashraf is the present Sajjada Nashin of Khanquah Durweshiya Ashrafia Chishtia,Dargah Bitho Sharif.
Shrine of Hazrat Mosizuddin Ahmad R.A-
The tomb of Hazrat is near by Phalgu river in Manpur toun.It is one of the most notable pilgrimage site in the city
Baitul Anwar
Baitul Anwar, situated at Gewal Bigha, a famous Khanqah of Ahl-e-Sunnat founded by Shah Noorul Huda; his successor Siraj-e-Millat Allama Sirajul Huda has been a famous religious personality in Bihar.History
Ancient history
Documented history of Gaya dates back to the enlightenment of Gautam Buddha. About 11 km from Gaya town is Bodh Gaya, the place where Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment. Since then the places around Gaya (RajgirRajgir
Rajgir is a city and a notified area in Nalanda district in the Indian state of Bihar. The city of Rajgir was the first capital of the kingdom of Magadha, a state that would eventually evolve into the Mauryan Empire. Its date of origin is unknown, although ceramics dating to about 1000 BC have...
, Nalanda
Nalanda
Nālandā is the name of an ancient center of higher learning in Bihar, India.The site of Nalanda is located in the Indian state of Bihar, about 55 miles south east of Patna, and was a Buddhist center of learning from the fifth or sixth century CE to 1197 CE. It has been called "one of the...
, Vaishali
Vaishali (ancient city)
Vaiśālī was the capital city of the Licchavi, one of world's first republics, in the Vajjian Confederacy mahajanapada, around the 6th century BC. It was here in 599 BCE the 24th Jain Tirthankara, Bhagwan Mahavira was born and brought up in Kundalagrama in Vaiśālī republic, which make pious &...
, Patliputra
Patliputra
Pāṭaliputra , modern-day Patna, was a city in ancient India, originally built by Ajatashatru in 490 BC as a small fort near the River Ganges, and later the capital of the ancient Mahājanapadas kingdom of Magadha....
) had been the citadel of knowledge for the ancient world. These centers of knowledge further flourished under the rule of dynasties like the Mauryans who ruled from Patliputra
Patliputra
Pāṭaliputra , modern-day Patna, was a city in ancient India, originally built by Ajatashatru in 490 BC as a small fort near the River Ganges, and later the capital of the ancient Mahājanapadas kingdom of Magadha....
(modern Patna
Patna
Paṭnā , is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and the second largest city in Eastern India . Patna is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world...
) and covered the area beyond the boundaries of the Indian subcontinent. During this period, Gaya was a part of the Magadh region.
Modern history
The town of Gaya, in about 1810 AD, consisted of two parts : one the residence of the priests, which properly was called Gaya ; and the other the residence of lawyers and tradesmen, which was originally called Elahabad, but later on,as developed by a renowned collector “Saheb”- Mr.Thomas Law, it was called Sahebgunj.It is the birthplace of eminent nationalist Bihar Vibhuti Dr Anugrah Narain Sinha;Bihar's first deputy Chief Minister cum Finance Minister.The last great ruler of Magadha was maharaja of Tekari.Great nationalist and leader of Kisan Andolan, Swami Sahajanand Saraswati
Swami Sahajanand Saraswati
Swami Sahajanand Saraswati , born in a Jijhoutia Brahminfamily of Ghazipur of Uttar Pradesh state of India, was an ascetic of Dashnami Order of Adi Shankara Sampradaya as well as a nationalist and peasant leader of India...
established an ashram at Neyamatpur
Neyamatpur
Neyamatpur is an old predominantly Bhumihar Brahmin village in Gaya district of Bihar, India. The village has a proud history as it was the bastion of extremist group of the Indian National Congress and Kisan Andolan...
, Gaya (Bihar) which later became the centre of freedom struggle in Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
. His close associate was Vir Keshwar Singh of Parihas. All the prominent leaders of Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
visited there frequently to meet Pandit Yadunandan (Jadunandan) Sharma
Pandit Yadunandan (Jadunandan) Sharma
Pandit Yadunandan Sharma was an Indian peasant leader and national liberation figure from the Indian state of Bihar. He had started a movement for the rights of tillers against the zamindars and Britishers at Reora celebrated as the Reora Satyagraha.-Biography:Pandit Yadunandan Sharma was born in...
, the leader of Kisan Andolan who resided in the ashram set up by Swamiji. Pandit Yadunandan (Jadunandan) Sharma
Pandit Yadunandan (Jadunandan) Sharma
Pandit Yadunandan Sharma was an Indian peasant leader and national liberation figure from the Indian state of Bihar. He had started a movement for the rights of tillers against the zamindars and Britishers at Reora celebrated as the Reora Satyagraha.-Biography:Pandit Yadunandan Sharma was born in...
became the undisputed leader of peasants in the Gaya district
Gaya District
Gaya is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state, India. The district is having a common boundary with the Jharkhand state in the south. Gaya city is its largest city and the district headquarters.-History:...
and second in command to the legendary freedom fighter and peasant leader Swami Sahajanand Saraswati
Swami Sahajanand Saraswati
Swami Sahajanand Saraswati , born in a Jijhoutia Brahminfamily of Ghazipur of Uttar Pradesh state of India, was an ascetic of Dashnami Order of Adi Shankara Sampradaya as well as a nationalist and peasant leader of India...
. Gaya has also immensely contributed in the Indian Independence Movement
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
.
During the independence movement, the All India session of the Congress was held under the presidency of Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das in 1922, which was attended by great illumanaries and prominent leaders of the Indian Independence Movement
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
, such as Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
, Dr. Rajendra Prasad
Rajendra Prasad
Dr. Rajendra Prasad was an Indian politician and educator. He was one of the architects of the Indian Republic, having drafted its first constitution and serving as the first president of independent India...
,Dr Anugrah Narayan Sinha
Anugrah Narayan Sinha
Dr. Anugrah Narayan Sinha , known as Bihar Vibhuti, was an Indian statesman who was the first Deputy Chief Minister cum Finance Minister of the Indian state of Bihar...
, Sardar Patel, Maulana Azad, Nehru and Sri Krishna Sinha
Sri Krishna Sinha
Sri Krishna Sinha , known as Bihar Kesari, was the first Chief Minister of the Indian state of Bihar . Along with the nationalists Dr. Rajendra Prasad and Dr. Anugrah Narayan Sinha, Sinha is regarded among the Architects of Modern Bihar...
.
Geography
Gaya is located at 24.78°N 85.0°E. It has an average elevation of 111 metres (364 ft).Demographics
India census, Gaya had a population of 394560. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Gaya has an average literacy rate of 68%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 74%, and female literacy is 60%. In Gaya, 14% of the population is under 6 years of age.Transportation
Gaya is well connected to the rest of India and the world by roadways, railways and airways.Air: The nearest airport is Gaya Airport
Gaya Airport
Gaya Airport , also known as Bodhgaya Airport , is a public airport serving Gaya, Bihar, India. It is the second most busiest airport in Bihar after Patna. It is one of the holiest places of worship for Buddhist people...
9 km and Patna Airport 135 km. Indian Airlines, Indigo, Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines connect Patna to Calcutta, Bombay, Delhi, Ranchi, Lucknow and various other cities.
Rail: The nearest railway station is Gaya (5 km).
Road: Bodhgaya is well connected by road to Gaya (17 km), Nalanda (101 km), Rajgir (78 km), Patna (135 km), Varanasi (252 km), Calcutta (495 km)
Local Transport: City Bus, Taxis, Tongas, Auto Rickshaws, Cycle Rickshaws are available.
Bus : Regular direct bus services are available from Gaya, Patna, Nalanda, Rajgir, Varanasi,Ranchi,Tata(Jamshedpur),Kolkatta,Dhanbad. Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation run buses from Patna- Bodhgaya route twice a day.
Roadways
The Grand Trunk RoadGrand Trunk Road
The Grand Trunk Road also formerly known as Uttarapatha, Shah Rah-e-Azam or Sadak-e-Azam or Badshahi Sadak is one of South Asia's oldest and longest major roads...
(NH-2, which has undergone a revival under The Golden Quadrilateral project) is about 30 km from Gaya. Thus, Gaya is well connected to Patna
Patna
Paṭnā , is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and the second largest city in Eastern India . Patna is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world...
, Ranchi
Ranchi
-Climate:Ranchi has a humid subtropical climate. However, due to its position and the forests around the city, it is known for its pleasant climate. Its climate is the primary reason why Ranchi was once the summer capital of the undivided State of Bihar...
, Jamshedpur, Bokaro
Bokaro Steel City
Bokaro Steel City is one of the largest Industrial city situated in the State of Jharkhand, in India. Bokaro is the 48th cleanest city in India and second in Jharkhand after Jamshedpur and one of the best cities to live in India...
, Rourkela
Rourkela
Rourkela is located in the northwestern tip of the Indian state of Orissa at the heart of a rich mineral belt. It is situated about north of state capital Bhubaneswar.It is surrounded by a range of hills and encircled by rivers. One of the largest steel plants of the Steel Authority of India...
, Hazaribag, Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, Budaun
Budaun
Badaun or Badayun is a city in the north-central Uttar Pradesh state of northern India. According to famous British Historian George Smith Budaun was named after Ahir prince Budh. Badaun comes under upper doab of Gangatic plains. Pede from Badaun are famous throughout world.-Demographics: India...
, Bareilly
Bareilly
Bareilly is a prominent city in Bareilly district in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Standing on the Ramganga river, it is the capital of the Bareilly division and the geographical region Rohilkhand...
, Varanasi
Varanasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...
, Allahabad
Allahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
, Kanpur, Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, Amritsar
Amritsar
Amritsar is a city in the northern part of India and is the administrative headquarters of Amritsar district in the state of Punjab, India. The 2001 Indian census reported the population of the city to be over 1,500,000, with that of the entire district numbering 3,695,077...
, and to the Pakistani cities of Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
and Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
. The highway connecting Gaya to Patna, Gaya to Nawada, Rajgir and Bihar Sharif are well maintained.
Railways
Gaya is the second most important and largest railway station in BiharBihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
after Patna. It is a junction
Junction (rail)
A junction, in the context of rail transport, is a place at which two or more rail routes converge or diverge.This implies a physical connection between the tracks of the two routes , 'points' and signalling.one or two tracks each meet at a junction, a fairly simple layout of tracks suffices to...
and is connected to all the four metropolis New Delhi, Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
and Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
through Important Broad Gauge Routes (direct trains). Now it is also directly connected to Guwahati (N-E India) and Chennai (South India). There is a direct train, Mahabodhi Express from New Delhi to Gaya daily. It takes around 15 hours to reach Gaya from New Delhi by train.
It has been announced in the 2009–2010 Railway Budget that Gaya Jn would be developed as a World Class Railway Station in Public Private Partnership mode along with 49 other stations throughout the nation. As a matter of fact Gaya Jn was also included in the list of 22 stations across the country to be developed as World Class along with Patna Jn during the tenure of Lalu Prasad as the Railway minister but nothing significant occurred in this regard. Also it has not even developed as a Model station till date in spite of its announcement since a decade.
There are direct trains from Gaya to other important stations in India like Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
, Guwahati
Guwahati
Guwahati, Pragjyotishpura in ancient Assam formerly known as Gauhati is a metropolis,the largest city of Assam in India and ancient urban area in North East India, with a population of 963,429. It is also the largest metropolitan area in north-eastern India...
, Ranchi
Ranchi
-Climate:Ranchi has a humid subtropical climate. However, due to its position and the forests around the city, it is known for its pleasant climate. Its climate is the primary reason why Ranchi was once the summer capital of the undivided State of Bihar...
, Bokaro
Bokaro Steel City
Bokaro Steel City is one of the largest Industrial city situated in the State of Jharkhand, in India. Bokaro is the 48th cleanest city in India and second in Jharkhand after Jamshedpur and one of the best cities to live in India...
, Varanasi
Varanasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...
, Lucknow
Lucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
, Kota
Kota, Rajasthan
Kota , formerly known as Kotah, is a city in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located south of state capital, Jaipur. Situated on the banks of Chambal River, the city is the trade centre for an area in which millet, wheat, rice, pulses, coriander and oilseeds are grown; industries...
, Kanpur, Allahabad
Allahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
, Agra
Agra
Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
, Bareilly
Bareilly
Bareilly is a prominent city in Bareilly district in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Standing on the Ramganga river, it is the capital of the Bareilly division and the geographical region Rohilkhand...
, Mathura, Jabalpur, Bhopal, Indore
Indore
Indore is one of the major city in India, the largest city and commercial center of the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India. Indore is located 190 km west of the state capital Bhopal. According to the 2011 Indian census, Indore city has a population of 1,960,631...
, Nagpur
Nagpur
Nāgpur is a city and winter capital of the state of Maharashtra, the largest city in central India and third largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune...
, Puri
Puri
Puri is district headquarter, a city situated about south of state capital Bhubaneswar, on the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal in the Indian state of Orissa. It is also known as Jagannath Puri after the Jagannath Temple . It is a holy city of the Hindus as a part of the Char Dham pilgrimages...
, Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
, Jodhpur
Jodhpur
Jodhpur , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital, Jaipur and from the city of Ajmer. It was formerly the seat of a princely state of the same name, the capital of the kingdom known as Marwar...
, Amritsar
Amritsar
Amritsar is a city in the northern part of India and is the administrative headquarters of Amritsar district in the state of Punjab, India. The 2001 Indian census reported the population of the city to be over 1,500,000, with that of the entire district numbering 3,695,077...
, Dehradun
Dehradun
- Geography :The Dehradun district has various types of physical geography from Himalayan mountains to Plains. Raiwala is the lowest point at 315 meters above sea level, and the highest points are within the Tiuni hills, rising to 3700 m above sea level...
, Kalka
Kalka
Kalka is a town in the Panchkula district of Haryana, India. The name of the town is derived from the goddess Kali. The town is situated in the foothills of the Himalayas and is a gateway to the neighbouring state of Himachal Pradesh. It is on the National Highway 22 between Chandigarh and Shimla,...
, Jammu
Jammu
Jammu , also known as Duggar, is one of the three administrative divisions within Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state in India.Jammu city is the largest city in Jammu and the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir...
, Gwalior, etc. There are also two other broad gauge train lines from Gaya, one to Patna
Patna
Paṭnā , is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and the second largest city in Eastern India . Patna is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world...
and the other to Kiul
KIUL
KIUL is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Garden City, Kansas, USA, the station serves southwestern Kansas...
.
Airways
Gaya AirportGaya Airport
Gaya Airport , also known as Bodhgaya Airport , is a public airport serving Gaya, Bihar, India. It is the second most busiest airport in Bihar after Patna. It is one of the holiest places of worship for Buddhist people...
is the only international airport in Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
and Jharkhand
Jharkhand
Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...
taken together. It is an international airport connected to Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
, Sri Lanka through two airline operators; Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, Thailand; Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, and Paro
Paro, Bhutan
-History:Rinpung Dzong a fortress-monastery overlooking the Paro valley has a long history. A monastery was first built on the site by Padma Sambhava at the beginning of the tenth century, but it wasn't until 1646 that Ngawang Namgyal built a larger monastery on the old foundations, and for...
, Bhutan. It is said to be being developed as a stand-by to the Kolkata airport
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport is an airport located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, serving the greater Kolkata metro area. The airport was originally known as Dum Dum Airport before being renamed in the honour of Subhas Chandra Bose...
. Gaya Airport is served by Indian Airlines for domestic flights and Sri Lankan Airlines, Mihin Lanka
Mihin Lanka
Mihin Lanka is a low-cost airline based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is a fully owned and funded enterprise of the Sri Lankan government. Its main focus is providing low cost flights from Colombo to a number of cities in the Indian subcontinent, the Gulf States and Southeast Asia...
, Drukair, Jet airways
Jet Airways
Jet Airways is a major Indian airline based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is India's largest airline and the market leader in the domestic sector. It operates over 400 flights daily to 76 destinations worldwide. Its main hub is Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, with secondary hubs at Delhi,...
and Indian Airlines for international flights. Thai Airways
Thai Airways International
Thai Airways International Public Company Limited is the national flag carrier and largest airline of Thailand. Formed in 1988, the airline's headquarters are located in Chatuchak District, Bangkok, and operates out of Suvarnabhumi Airport. Thai is a founding member of the Star Alliance. Thai is a...
flies non stop between Bangkok and Gaya. The distance of Gaya airport to National Heritage site "Bodh Gaya" is about 5 Kilometers.
Cuisine
The staple food of Gaya is common to the rest of Bihar and JharkhandJharkhand
Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...
. The other special preparations found in Gaya are typically traditional Bihari food. The most popular of them include sattu, litti, pittha, pua, marua-ka-roti, bari-dal, sattu-ka-roti, baigan-bharta, sukhaota, etc.
Sweets
Gaya has been the origin of several sweet delicacies popular in the whole of Bihar, Jharkhand and the rest of India. TilkutTilkut
Tilkut is a sweet savoury made in the Indian states of Bihar and Jharkhand. It is made of pounded 'tila' or sesame seeds and jaggery or sugar. The best tilkut is said to be from Gaya...
, Kesaria Peda, Lai, Anarsa
Anarsa
Anarsa is a pastry like snack commonly associated with the Hindu festival of Diwali in Central & Northern India. Its ingredients include jaggery, rice, poppy seed and ghee.Recipe :...
of Ramana road and tekari road are the most popular sweets that bear the trademark of Gaya.
Tilkut being the most popular of them is prepared using til
Til
Til may refer to:*Til , a book by José de Alencar*Times Internet Limited, a company focusing on Online Publishing, part of The Times Group*Til Defence Systems, develops war games and simulation systems for commanders at all levels...
or sesame
Sesame
Sesame is a flowering plant in the genus Sesamum. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds, which grow in pods....
seeds (Sesamum Indicum) and jaggery or sugar. It is a seasonal (winter) sweet and only the karigars (workers) from Gaya are believed to impart the real taste of Tilkut. One can find Tilkuts carrying the label "Ramna, Gaya" and "Tekari road, Gaya"even in far flung places like Kolkata and Delhi. Ramna and Tekari Road are the areas in the city where every other house is a Tilkut factory.
Kesaria peda is yet another delicious sweet prepared from khoya (solid milk cream) and kesar
Kesar
Kesar is an Indian television serial that aired on STAR Plus, based on the life of a young girl from rural Punjab named Kesar. Kesar concluded on May 31, 2007 but is currently being repeated from the beginning on the TV Asia channel in USA.-Plot:...
(saffron
Saffron
Saffron is a spice derived from the flower of Crocus sativus, commonly known as the saffron crocus. Crocus is a genus in the family Iridaceae. Each saffron crocus grows to and bears up to four flowers, each with three vivid crimson stigmas, which are each the distal end of a carpel...
). The Chowk
Chowk
Originally in Urdu , a chowk is a Town square, an open area commonly found in the heart of a traditional town used for community gatherings, Market square or simply traffic intersection:* Ashram Chowk Delhi* Banaras Chowk, Karachi...
area of the city specializes in Kesaria Peda production.
There are several varieties of Lai available in Bihar, including Lai from Gaya. The main component of this Lai is Ram dana seeds. These ram danas are processed and mixed with koya and sugar to give rise to a disk shaped sweet.
Anarsa is also based on khoya, but is deep fried and processed with sugar. Anarsa comes in two shapes 'thin disk' and 'spherical'. The sweet is finally embedded with til (sesame) toppings.
These sweets are dry and hence easily packagable, preserved, and transported, unlike the Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
i sweets which are soaked in sugar syrups. There is a tradition among the residents to gift the visitors with these sweets when they depart, as a token of love.
Beside this in Gaya one should must try roadside eateries like Aloo ka Chaloo & Chaat. Aloo ka Chaloo is made up of boiled potatoes sprinkled with red chilly powder and jeera powder, salt and tamarind water. One can easily find such joints outside schools and colleges as it is favourite of kids and teenagers.
Snacks
The people of Gaya are fond of spicy-sour traditional snacks. There are certain snacks that are found only in Gaya. The most popular among them are Samosa Chat, Alu-Kachalu and Sabudana-Badam Bhoonja,aalu chaat.Sabudana-Badam Bhoonja is a dry snack that is unique to the Gaya city. It is a mixture of fried sabudana (sago) and fried badam (groundnut
Peanut
The peanut, or groundnut , is a species in the legume or "bean" family , so it is not a nut. The peanut was probably first cultivated in the valleys of Peru. It is an annual herbaceous plant growing tall...
or moongfali is called badam or sometime chiniya-badam in Bihar) along with salt (both white and black), chilly powder and jeera (cumin seeds) powder. The mobile bhoonja vendors shouting humorous slogans can be found in every bylane of the Gaya city during the twilight hours.
Chanajor garam is one of the most spicy snacks made up of black gram and traditional(typical)masala,being served with lemon juice and typical powder.
Education
ICSE
ICSE might be an acronym or abbreviation for:* International Conference on Software Engineering* International Contract Services Expo* International Center for Sustainale Excellence* Indian Certificate of Secondary Education...
and CBSE boards.The major ones being Creane Memorial school, Banshi Dhar Shishu Niketan, Nazareth Academy, D.A.V Public School Medical Road, Gyan Bharti Public school, D.A.V Public School Cantonment Area, D.A.V. Public School Gaya-Nawada Road, Shatabdi Public School (Katari Hill Road), Greenfield Public School, Sir Syed Memorial School
Sir Syed Memorial School
Sir Syed Memorial School is an English medium theology-based residential school in India. It is in Karma, Bhadeya in Barachatti block of Gaya district on G.T Road...
Karma Bhadeya, Elegant Public School, Iqra Public School Formerly Iqra Academy (New Karimganj)Nagmatia Affiliated to CBSE Delhi,MDA Public School (Bitho Sharif) and many more. Creane memorial School is established with a vision of providing quality education to students. The school is affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) . Creane Memorial High School is dedicated to provide world class educational facilities to the students and offers education from classes Nursery - Class Xll . To ensure the complete development of the children, Creane Memorial High School encourages the students to take part in various co-curricular activities held in school such as music, dance, arts and sports. The campus of Creane Memorial High School is well equipped with the modern infrastructural facilities such as spacious ventilated class rooms with the latest teaching aids, rich library, state-of-the-art computer labs, science labs and play ground. Nazareth Academy is one of the oldest schools, which is managed by a US based congregation called 'Sisters of Charity of Nazareth'. The government-run public schools lack many facilities, but are the only options for the poor who cannot afford the fees in private schools.Gyan Niketan NGO Non Government Organization charitable school is a single school in north side of Bodhgaya who provides free education to 200 students surrounded by more than five villages.
The only university at Gaya is Magadh University
Magadh University
Magadh University is a university in the state of Bihar, India. It is recognized by the University Grants Commission . The university is now governed by Bihar State University Act 1976. It is located at Bodh Gaya where Lord Buddha got enlightenment. Magadh University is situated in a lush green and...
(largest university of Bihar) located near Bodhgaya established by educationist and the then Education Minister S N Sinha. Gaya has several colleges with graduate and post-graduate courses offered in sciences, arts, commerce, management and Computer Applications. The well known ones include Gaya College (NAAC accredited with Grade-A), Anugrah Memorial College, Jagjivan College, Mirza Ghalib College
Mirza Ghalib College
Mirza Ghalib College , Gaya is a Minority College in Gaya offers courses up to Post Graduation in . It is Affiliated by Magadh University Bodhgaya gaya....
. Gautam Buddha Mahila College (GBM College) is exclusively meant for women.
Anugraha Narayan Magadh Medical College and Hospital (ANMMCH) is the medical college in Gaya. Gaya has an Industrial Training Institute for vocational education located on Bodhgaya Road
Computer Education
- NIIT Gaya Anand Bazar Centre 3rd Floor, Anand Bazar Swaraj Puri Road,Bihar.
- Aptech Computer Education, Location: Noor Complex, Opp. Civil Lines Police Station