Gaya is a Hindu pilgrimage about 116 km south of Patna, the capital of Bihar People throng Gaya throughout the year for the purpose of the salvation of the departed soul Gaya is the second largest of the 39 districts of Bihar state Its area is 111 m above sea level.

Gaya district was formed on 3 October 1865 Gaya is mentioned in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata According to the Ramayana, Sri Ramachandra came to Gaya with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman to offer Pind to his father Dasharatha On the other hand, Gaya is mentioned in the Mahabharata as "Gaya Puri.

" Gaya was known as one of the cultural centres of India from the 6th century BC to the 18th century AD The Shishunaga dynasty was established in the Gaya region around the 6th century AD Gaya was later introduced to the outside world during the time of Bimbisara During the time of Bimbisara, Jain Tirthankara Mahavira and the promoter of Buddhism, Gautama Buddha, came to Gaya.

Gaya was also under the Nanda kings for some time Later, during the reign of Emperor Ashoka, Gaya was included in the Mauryan Empire Ashoka commissioned the first temple at Bodh Gaya, the site of the Buddha's enlightenment Later, the Gupta period was the era of the Hindu Renaissance The main Puranas were composed during this Gupta period.

Gaya came into renewed prominence during the reign of Emperor Samudragupta Gaya became the chief town of the Bihar province during the Gupta period Gaya was incorporated into this empire during the Pala dynasty in Bengal, and the present temple at Bodh Gaya is said to have been built by Palraj Dharmapala.

In the 12th century CE, the Turkish general Bakhtiyar Khalji plundered Gaya However, the Hindu rulers of Gaya later evicted Bakhtiyar's Turkish generals In 2002, the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List The Gaya chronicle contains the history of the Gaya penance The name Gaya is said to have originated from Gaya, the birthplace of the god Vishnu.

Tripurasura, the father of Gayasura, had already been killed by the gods So if Gaya wanted to take revenge after receiving a boon, then the gods would be in a miserable state So Gaya did not get his desired boon, so the gods appeared before Vishnu He explained everything Gaya wanted to touch him and let the living beings go to Vaikuntha.

Vishnu agreed Vishnu then asked Brahma to arrange a yajna A holy body was needed for this And Vishnu then consecrated Gaya's body Brahma agreed This time Yogabala expanded his body His head was on Mount Kolahal, his feet on Nabidesa Bajpur and his feet on Chandrabhaga Then Gaya's body was on Kolahal.

Lord Vishnu then placed his two feet on Gaya's head and declared that Gaya would be heavenly on the north side of the four hills of Pindashila, Gadi, and Ramaguna Gadi, which are in the east of Gaya To the north of Gaya, Vishnu turned the four hills of Gadi.

The highest point is the Brahmajoni Hill in Gaya The stairs to climb this hill are made by the queen of Indore, Ahilyabai According to the Ramayana, Rama and Lakshmana went to the locality to collect provisions for the father's pindadaan Meanwhile, a hungry Dasharatha came to his daughter-in-law Sita.

She asked for the pind Sita explained that her sons had gone to collect the pindadaan But Dasharatha could not wait Dasharatha said that he would only be able to give her a lump of sand Then her father-in-law Dasharatha gave her a lump of sand on the chest of the falgu.

Sita kept the witness, the falgu, the banyan, the ashwat tree, the tulsi tree, and a Brahmin When Rama and Lakshman returned, Sita asked the witnesses to give evidence But they were all false witnesses Sitadevi blessed the banyan tree on one side, and cursed the others Sita said that the only fruit that would be found inside the banyan was the sand that was found under the fruit during the rain.

Gaya has the Vishnupad Temple, a Hindu shrine for the dead The temple was built in the 18th century CE It also houses the Barabar Caves on the Barabar Hill, about 34 km from Gaya Durgeshwari Cave Temple, about 14 km from Gaya, is where Gautama Buddha meditated for six years.

Also, about 13 km from Hindu Gaya is Buddhagaya, a Buddhist monastery It has the tallest Buddha statue, eighty feet high Lumbini, Kushinagar, Bodhgaya, and Sarnath are the four major Buddhist pilgrimage sites Buddhists began their missionary work in the Brahmanism-dominated areas of India during the Buddhist era, and it was built near Hindu Gaya, and Sarnath, near Hindu Kashi.

Finally, after the epoch of Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Puranas, Gaya is still in its glory.