It is a city of historical significance and is one of the major tourist attractions Gayaji is sanctified in the Jain, Hindu, and Buddhist religions. Gayaji district is mentioned in the great epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. It is the place where Rama, with Sita and Lakshmana, came to offer piṇḍadāna for their father, Dasharatha, and continues to be a major Hindu pilgrimage site for the piṇḍadāna ritual. Bodh Gaya, where Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment, is one of the four holy sites of Buddhism.
Gayaji was chosen as one of twelve heritage cities to benefit from the Government of India's four-year Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) scheme for urban planning, economic growth and heritage conservation projects.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Gaya is named after the demon Gayasura (meaning "the demon Gaya") who dwelt the area during the Treta Yuga.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> According to Vayu Purana, Gaya was the name of a demon (Asura) whose body became pious after he performed strict penance and secured blessings from Lord Vishnu.<ref name=MSME /> It was said that the body of Gayasura was transformed into the series of rocky hills that make up the landscape of Gaya.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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According to modern scholars, the Kikata kingdom from Rigvedic period was located at Gaya, Bihar.
Gaya is an ancient city, with a Buddhist documented history dating back to the 6th century BCE when the sage Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, Template:Convert from the modern city.<ref name="Nomination">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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Even before this time, Gaya was a place of pilgrimage for people from around the world. The fame of ancient Gaya derived from the account in the Ramayana of the god Rama coming here to the banks of Phalgu River (called the Niranjana), accompanied by his wife and younger brother, to offer pind-daan for their father Dasharatha, for the moksha of his soul.<ref name="Rámayán">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="pind daan">Template:Cite book</ref> In the Mahabharata, Gaya is referred to as Gayapuri.
Gaya flourished during the Maurya Empire (321–187 BCE), which ruled from the city of Pataliputra (adjacent to modern Patna) over an area that extended beyond the Indian subcontinent. During this period, Gaya witnessed the rise and fall of many dynasties in the Magadha region, where it occupied an important place in cultural history over some 2,400 years between the 6th century BCE and the 18th century CE.
The city's cultural significance began with the dynasty founded by Sisunaga, who exercised power over Patna and Gaya around 600 BCE. Bimbisara, fifth king of the dynasty, who lived and ruled around 519 BCE, had projected Gaya to the outer world. Having attained an important place in the history of civilisation, the area experienced the influence of Gautama Buddha and Bhagwan Mahavir during the reign of Bimbisara. After a brief period under the Nanda dynasty (345–321 BCE), Gaya and the entire Magadha region came under Mauryan rule. Mauryan Emperor Ashoka (272–232 BCE) embraced and promoted Buddhism. He visited Gaya, and built the first temple at Bodh Gaya to commemorate the Buddha's attainment of supreme enlightenment.<ref name="UNESCO WHC">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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The period of Hindu revivalism began with the Gupta Empire during the 4th and 5th centuries CE. Samudragupta of Magadha brought Gaya into the limelight, making it the capital of Bihar district during the Gupta empire.
In 750 CE, Gaya became a part of the Pala Empire, under the rule of its founder, Gopala. It is believed that the present temple of Bodh Gaya was built during the reign of Gopala's son, Dharmapala.
As attested by Francis Buchanan-Hamilton in the early nineteenth century, the city was divided into two areas: a sacred area in the southern part of the city, called Gaya; and the larger secular area, which may have been known by the Muslim community as Allahabad. During the British rule, the commercial and administrative area of the secular zone was formally named Saheb Ganj by British policy reformer Thomas Law, who was a district officer in Gaya in the late nineteenth century. Now 2023 Upgrade Gaya Junction to International Junction official news launched By @PIB_Patna on Twitter <ref name="Vidyarthi">Template:Cite book</ref>
The new Vishnupad Corridor Project is underway to improve pilgrim experience at Vishnupad.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Administration
Until 1864, Gaya was a part of the district of Bihar and Ramgarh (now in the state of Jharkhand). It became a district of Bihar in its own right on 3 October 1865.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In May 1981, the Bihar state government created the Magadh division, comprising the district of Gaya, along with Nawada, Aurangabad and Jehanabad, all of which had originally been sub-divisions when Gaya district was created.<ref name=MSME /> Aurangabad and Nawada were partitioned from the territory of Gaya in 1973; and Jehanabad in 1988.<ref name="Statoids">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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Gaya Municipal Corporation (GMC) is the civic body that governs Gaya.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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Culture
Pilgrimage
The city of Gaya is a holy place of Hinduism, with a great number of Hindu deities represented in the engravings, paintings and carvings of its shrines. Of particular importance are the sites in the city associated with Vishnu, in particular the Phalgu River and the shrine Vishnupad Mandir, or Vishnupada, which is marked by a large footprint of Lord Vishnu engraved in a basalt block.<ref name="Vidyarthi"/> Gaya is the location at which Rama, with Sita and Lakshmana, offered pind-daan for his father, Dasharatha. Gaya has since remained a site of key importance for the performance of the pind-daan ritual.<ref name="Rámayán"/><ref name="pind daan"/>
Gaya is considered to be one of the most ideal places to perform the Śrāddha. (A Śrāddha is the Hindu ritual that one performs to pay homage to one's ancestors, especially to one's dead parents). As per Hindu belief system, it is believed that a person goes to hell if he dies in the following circumstances - if he meets an accidental death, if he dies without his consecrations being performed, or if he is killed by a wild animal. But, if Śrāddha of that person are performed at Gaya then the soul of such a man will get rid of the tortures of the hell and will go to heaven. Performing Śrāddha here is of great importance as it helps one to get rid of pitra rinna i.e. debts towards one's ancestors (male forefathers).
Nearby Bodh Gaya ("Buddha Gaya"), so named to distinguish it from the Hindu town centre of Gaya, is one of the four holiest sites of Buddhism and the site where the Buddha attained enlightenment.<ref name="UNESCO WHC"/><ref name="Vidyarthi"/>
The Template:Convert Mahabodhi Temple central to the complex was first built by the emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE. The main part of the present structure dates from the 5th–6th centuries CE. It is one of the earliest and best-preserved Buddhist temples built entirely of brick dating from the later Gupta period. The Bodhi Tree (Ficus religiosa), the most important of the sacred places within the complex, is reputedly a descendant of the original tree under which Siddhārtha Gautama attained enlightenment and became the Buddha.<ref name="UNESCO WHC"/> Marking this seminal moment, Bodh Gaya is one of the four holiest pilgrimage sites of Buddhism, with Lumbini, Sarnath and Kushinagar.<ref name="ICCROM"/>
The various structures on the site have undergone a number of restorations over the centuries. Ongoing maintenance and management is required to protect the complex which, as a major pilgrimage site, is under pressure due to large numbers of visitors.<ref name="ICCROM">Template:Cite book</ref> The site is under the responsibility of the state government of Bihar, and is managed by the Bodhgaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC) and advisory board under the Bodh Gaya Temple Act, 1949.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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Climate
As Gaya is surrounded by hills on three sides and river on the fourth side, the climate of Gaya is seasonable. Climate is characterised by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed rainfall throughout the year. The Köppen Climate Classification sub-type for this climate is "Cwa" (humid subtropical).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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Template:Weather boxGaya has been ranked 8th best "National Clean Air City" under (Category 2 3-10L Population cities) in India.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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Economy
Gaya is the second-largest contributor to the economy of Bihar, after Patna. Agriculture is the leading economic activity of the district. The main crops grown are rice, wheat, potatoes, and lentils. Livestock raised include cattle, buffaloes, goats and pigs. Gaya has a large number of household industries, producing incense sticks (atagarbatti), local sweets tilkut (made with sesame seed) and lai (made with poppy seed), stone-work, hand weaving, power-loom weaving, textiles and garments, small-scale manufactured goods, and plastic products. Small-scale industries also include agricultural services, metalworking, machinery and equipment production and repair services.<ref name="MSME">Template:Cite news</ref> The main vegetable market in the city is the Kedarnath Market. Commercial activities are located along its main roads; the city also has a large number of informal shops.<ref name="Udyog Mitra">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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Transportation
Local transport
There are many city buses and taxis providing services across the city and Bodh Gaya. Tangas, Auto Rickshaws, Electric rickshaws, and cycle rickshaws also ply the city and Bodh Gaya. The main bus stands are Government Bus Stand, Sikaria More Bus Stand, Gaurkashni Bus Stand (Manpur), and Delha Bus Stand. Local transport is reliable, and auto rickshaws are available for various destinations in the city.
A weel bus service connecting all nearby towns is operated by BSRTC (Bihar State Road Transport Corporation.The Gaya–Patna railway line plays a major role in transporting people from the town to the state capital.
Gaya is connected to the rest of India by roads, rail and airways. The Grand Chord section of the Indian Railways passes through Gaya. Gaya Junction railway station railway station is a major junction station serving the city. Gaya Junction has been redeveloped as Model railway station recently and houses all the major facilities like waiting rooms, computerised reservation facility, food plaza, dormitory, retiring rooms, cafeteria, bookshop, etc. Gaya falls under the jurisdiction of the Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya railway division of the East Central Railway zone. The Grand Chord rail line that connects Howrah and New Delhi passes through Gaya. It lies between Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction on the Delhi side and Dhanbad Junction on the Howrah side. It is located at Template:Coord.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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Airways
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Situated between Gaya (7 km) and Bodh Gaya (11 km), Gaya Airport is one of two operating international airports in the states of Bihar and Jharkhand. Gaya airport mainly operates weekly and seasonal flights for Buddhist pilgrims to Bodh Gaya from Colombo, Sri Lanka; Bangkok, Thailand, Singapore, Paro and Bhutan. There are also regular domestic flights to Kolkata and Delhi. IndiGo has started Domestic Flights to New Delhi and Kolkata. The Airports Authority of India has plans to develop Gaya Airport as a stand-by to the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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Gaya Airport also serves as the only place of Bihar from where Hajj pilgrims take direct flight to Jeddah and Madina in Saudi Arabia.
Pilgrimage and Spiritual Attractions
Gaya is not only significant in secular history but also revered as a major pilgrimage center in Hinduism and Buddhism. Below are key spiritual sites in and around Gaya:
Vishnupad Mandir – Located on the banks of the Phalgu River, this temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It is believed to be the spot where Vishnu subdued the demon Gayasura. A 40 cm footprint of Vishnu, known as Dharmasila, is enshrined within the temple. The current structure was rebuilt in 1787 by Queen Ahilyabai Holkar.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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Akshayavata Tree – Adjacent to the Vishnupad complex, this sacred banyan tree is believed to be immortal (“Akshaya” means indestructible). Devotees believe that no Shraddha ceremony in Gaya is complete without performing rites at this tree.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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Sita Kund – Situated across the Phalgu River from Vishnupad, this sacred pond marks the place where Goddess Sita is said to have offered pind-daan for her father-in-law Dasharatha.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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Phalgu River Ghats – The ghats along the Phalgu (Falgu) River are essential to the rituals of pind-daan. Pilgrims descend the steps to perform ancestral rites and take holy dips in the river.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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Pretshila Hill – A hill in Gaya associated with certain mortuary rites and local legends; some pilgrims perform rituals here during Pitrupaksha.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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Ramshila – A sacred rock formation linked to the legend of Lord Rama performing pinda-daan rites. Local tradition holds that Rama’s shila (stone) still bears his presence. <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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Mahabodhi Temple (Bodh Gaya) – Though located some distance from Gaya city, this UNESCO World Heritage Buddhist complex draws pilgrims worldwide. It marks the site where Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
Bodhi Tree – At the Mahabodhi Temple complex, the sacred Bodhi Tree is believed to be a descendant of the original tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment. Pilgrims meditate and worship here.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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Mangala Gauri Temple – A Shakti Peetha located on the Mangalagauri Hill in Gaya. It is believed to be the seat of the goddess (Sati) and is one of the 18 Maha Shakti Peethas.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
The city had its first census in 1872, which placed the figure at 66,843.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In the 2011 census, the Gaya Urban Agglomeration had a population of 470,839.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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