Mahabodhi temple, Bodh Gaya : This is one of the four main Buddhist pilgrim centres, others are at Lumbini (Nepal), Sarnath and Kushinagar. At Lumbini, Siddhartha was born, at Sarnath, near Varanasi, he preached the first sermon and at Kushinagar, near Gorakhpur he attained Mahaparinirvana.

This ancient temple has a 46 m high tower and a gilded image of Buddha, believed to have been raised by emperor Ashoka. The temple has a beautiful stone railing around it. Depicted on the walls of the temple are scenes from the life of Buddha. A museum in the vicinity has gold, bronze and stone images of the Buddha. The canopy structure of this temple is very attractive and different from temples usually found in north India. To manitain balance of the main tower, there are four smaller towers. The Mahabodhi temple has a huge idol of the Buddha in the 'bhumisparsa mudra'. The temple is surrounded by small pillars and delicate lattice work.