Bihar Tibetan Monastery
The Tibetan Monastery is supposedly the oldest of the monasteries, situated in Bodh Gaya, which is considered to be the place where Lord Buddha started the religion of Buddhism. During the era of Mahaparinirvana, a number of sects were formed by the disciples of the Lord, although, they all followed the same teachings of the Buddha. In order to propagate the teachings of Buddha, a number of monasteries were formed by these sects, one of which was established in Bodh Gaya, and is considered to be the most well known among the monasteries. This is known as the Tibetan Monastery, and assumes a prominent place in the Buddhism religion.
It was said to be established in 1938, and is situated near to the road travelling to the Maha Bodhi Temple complex. This temple is the place where Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment in 528 BC.
Architecture
The monastery structure is quite large and is considered to be having a huge dharmachakra, which is the wheel of law. It is about 10 meters high, having a drum made of metal with golden and red color. It is believed that if someone spins the wheel three times, then he or she will be free of committed sins. Inside the monastery, there is a huge image of Maitreya Buddha, precisely being buddha’s further incarnation. The Tibetan Monastery is said to be filled up with scriptures, Thangkas, and various other objects and symbols, which depict Buddhism. Most importantly, the monastery is the perfect place for the meditation and there are various courses which have been designed to take up meditation courses and study various principles of Buddhism. Another purpose of the monastery is to house the tourists who come here for the visit to have a look at the holy place.
Festivals
A number of festivals are said to be celebrated in the Tibetan Monastery of Bodh Gaya, mostly celebrated in reverence to the days related to Buddha and Buddhism. One of the important ones is the Buddha Jayanti Festival, celebrated each year when it is the full moon day of the Vaikashi month, which falls during April and May. This is celebrated as a commemoration of the day when Lord Buddha got enlightenment. During this period, people following Buddhist religion travel from all places around the country and outside and conglomerate to attend the occasion. There are plenty of religious teachings, sermons, discourses, prayers, etc, related mostly to the life of Lord Buddha. Also, Buddha statues are worshiped.
There is one more significant festival held in Tibetan Monastery, which is known as Kalchakra Ceremony. This festival is held for a period of 10 days, usually in the month of January, every year. The Dalai Lama presides over this ceremony, since he is the religious and spiritual head of the Buddhist sections. According to beliefs, people can attain salvation by attending this 10 day ceremony once in their lifetime. During this ceremony, a peace prayer is held in order to spread harmony throughout the world.
Reaching There
The airport which is nearest to the Bodh Gaya Tibetan Monastery is 12 kms away at Gaya. This airport is well connected with many national and foreign airports.
Bodh Gaya can be reached from Gaya by road quite easily, due to the nearest city being Gaya. People can also travel by their personal vehicles or buses or private taxis from as far as Patna, which is located about 108 kms from Gaya.
Gaya is the nearest railway station at 12 kms distance and this station has good train connections from various places like Delhi, Kolkata, Patna, etc.
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