Bodh Gaya struggles to attract tourists despite its spiritual significance

Many holy places across the world earn a good amount of money from spiritual tourism every year.

However, Bodh Gaya, a place of equal spiritual importance for Buddhists, is unable to attract as many tourists as it should be. The Mahabodhi Temple Complex in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, is one of the most important Buddhist pilgrimage sites in the world. It is believed to be the place where Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment, making it highly significant for Buddhists worldwide.

As a result, there is a high demand for infrastructure development and improvements in the Mahabodhi corridor to accommodate the large number of pilgrims and tourists who visit the site every year. While talking to ANI, Suresh Singh, President of the Travel Association in Bodh Gaya said, “Bodh Gaya is completely dependent on tourists and these tourists are religious; they have faith. We have been demanding for a long time that a Buddhist corridor should be built for the tourists who come to Bodh Gaya but we are not able to move it. The government should focus on it.”

“Every Buddhist in 27 or 28 countries in the world wants to come here. We have put our point in front of the government that it should be developed in such a way that tourists come to Bodh Gaya throughout the year but flights stop after March. We will have to tell them that you can come here throughout the year; It has all the facilities,” he added. Further, Suresh Singh said that the government should make such arrangements that there should be a special train from Banaras to Gaya so that tourists can easily come here.

“I demanded from the government that, just like there is CMCH in the South, a Buddhist medical college should be opened in Gaya. Those who have religious sentiments attached to Buddhism will come for treatment. If tourists come, Gaya will benefit. The government should pay some attention. Bodh Gaya gives the most foreign exchange in Bihar,” he said. Sudama Kumar, General Secretary of the Hotel Association, said that Bodh Gaya Corridor is a genuine demand for tourists.

“You can see the corridor in Varanasi, which has changed the whole system. Many more tourist spots could be developed, but it did not happen. Bodh Gaya comes especially as a heritage site but its development has not been consistent. Such as the Niranjana river in our Bodhgaya. Continuous sand is being removed, which has reduced the water level of the river. We appeal to the Bihar government to at least do something for holy rivers like Niranjana,” he said.

While talking to ANI, one of the Buddhist monks said that there is a lack of hospital facilities in Bodhgaya and that a world-class hospital should be built here.