Once when he saw an old man, a diseased person and finally a dead one he realized the hard core reality of the life and he left his home at the age of twenty nine in search of answer to life. Bodh Gaya is the most famous pilgrimage for the Buddhists. It is famous among the Hindus as well, as they come to perform a ritual called 'pinda daan' to help their ancestors and forefathers attain moksha 'salvation'. This is where Prince Siddhartha meditated under the banyan tree also called Bodhi tree to get enlightenment. After being enlightened he was called Buddha.
Several monasteries are there with different architectural styles.
This is where Lord Buddha gave his first sermon before his five deciples. This place has its special significance in archaeology. The halo of Buddha is superb. Among the main attractions here are the Dhamekha Stupa, Mulgandha Kuti Vihar, Digamber Jain Temple and Sarnath Archaeological Museum which has a huge collection of sculptures, excavated from the nearby sites. Here the main attraction is the Lion Capital erected by Ashoka the great in the 3rd century BC Initially 50 Mts.