गया/बोध गया gaya/bodh gaya
‘Gayasur’s Town’ / ‘Place of Awakening’ City/District, Bihar
Gaya is named after the demon Gayasur [Skt: असुर asura ‘(evil) spirit’, ‘demon’].
Gaya is named after the demon Gayasur (Skt: असुर asura, ‘demon, spirit’), who after a thousand-year penance was granted the power to absolve sinners. The surrounding rocky hills — Rama Shila, Pret Shila, Ram Gaya Pahar, and Brahmayoni — are said to be his body after death and form part of an important Hindu pilgrimage circuit.
Nearby Bodh Gaya (Skt: bodh, ‘awakening, enlightenment’) is the place where Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment in the 6th century BCE beneath the Bodhi tree. Today it remains one of the world’s most important Buddhist pilgrimage sites, centred on the Mahabodhi Temple (UNESCO World Heritage).
For related place names see Indian Place names and Bihar place names.
