Temples and monasteries of Bodh Gaya

Around the Mahabodhi Temple, Buddhist nations and communities from across Asia have built their own temples, each in its own architecture and tradition. Walking between them is like crossing the Buddhist world in an afternoon.

14 temples and monasteries from 10 countries and communities are described below.

Vajrayana

The Himalayan traditions of Tibet, Bhutan and neighbouring regions, known for painted thangkas, prayer wheels, prayer flags, and devotion to figures such as Tara.

Tibetan community

Tibetan Monastery

Founded in the 1930s (sources give 1934 and 1938)

Close to the Mahabodhi Temple, this is the oldest Tibetan monastery in Bodh Gaya. Its large red-and-gold dharmachakra, the Wheel of the Law, is turned by pilgrims, and tradition holds that turning it three times clears past wrongdoing.

Look for

  • The great dharmachakra prayer wheel
  • An image of Maitreya, the Buddha to come
  • Tantric-influenced wall paintings

Sources: Incredible India: A spiritual travel guide to Gaya; eSamskriti: Bodh Gaya temples; Outlook Traveller: Explore Bodh Gaya

Tibetan community (Nyingma)

Shechen Tennyi Dargyeling

Built in 1996

A Nyingma monastery built by Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche, grandson and spiritual heir of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. About fifty monks live and study here, and it hosts the annual Nyingma Monlam prayer festival.

Look for

  • Frescoes of the Buddha’s life by the Tsering Arts School

Source: Photo Dharma: Three Tibetan temples in Bodhgaya

Tibetan community (Karma Kagyu)

Tergar Monastery

Built in the mid-2000s

Founded by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, Tergar is home to more than 300 monastics, who study a Buddhist curriculum alongside science, English and computers. It is the setting for the Kagyu Monlam prayer festival and runs a medical clinic for local residents.

Look for

  • The main shrine hall during the winter festival season
  • Monastic debate during scholastic sessions

Sources: Yongey Foundation: Tergar Bodh Gaya Monastery; Photo Dharma: Three Tibetan temples in Bodhgaya

Tibetan community (Kagyu, Rime)

Karma Tharjay Chokhorling

Established by the 2nd Beru Khyentse Rinpoche, this temple is known for murals of the Buddha’s life, including the Four Sights and his years of austerity.

Look for

  • The narrative murals of the Buddha’s life

Source: Photo Dharma: Three Tibetan temples in Bodhgaya

Theravada

The “teaching of the elders”, followed mainly in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. Expect saffron robes, chanting in Pali and quiet meditation halls.

Thailand

Wat Thai Buddhagaya (Royal Thai Monastery)

Founded in 1957

Built by the Government of Thailand at the invitation of India to mark 2,500 years of Buddhism. Its ordination hall was remodelled in the 1970s after Wat Benchamabophit, the Marble Temple in Bangkok, and its sweeping golden roofs have earned it the name “Golden Monastery”.

Look for

  • Tiered Thai roofs and the Garuda above the gate
  • Murals of the Mahajanaka story
  • The bronze Buddha in the main hall

Sources: Wikipedia: Wat Thai Buddhagaya; Outlook Traveller: Explore Bodh Gaya

Sri Lanka

Maha Bodhi Society and Sri Lankan Temple

Society founded in 1891

The Maha Bodhi Society was founded in Colombo in 1891 by the Sri Lankan reformer Anagarika Dharmapala, with Sir Edwin Arnold, to restore the Mahabodhi Temple to Buddhist care. Its first office was here in Bodh Gaya, and its temple near the Mahabodhi complex is the oldest Buddhist society presence in the town.

Look for

  • The Buddha image in meditation posture (dhyana mudra)

Sources: Wikipedia: Maha Bodhi Society; eSamskriti: Bodh Gaya temples

India

Dhammabodhi Vipassana Meditation Centre

A residential centre a short drive from town that teaches Vipassana meditation in the tradition of S. N. Goenka, through silent ten-day courses. Courses must be booked in advance.

Look for

  • Check the course calendar before your trip

Sources: eSamskriti: Bodh Gaya temples; dhamma.org: Vipassana courses worldwide

Mahayana

The “great vehicle”, followed across China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam, with its emphasis on the bodhisattva, who seeks enlightenment for the benefit of all beings.

Japan

Indosan Nippon Japanese Temple

Built in 1972–73

Built by the International Buddhist Brotherhood Association (Kokusai Bukkyo Kyokai) and modelled on an ancient Japanese wooden temple. The calm interior is decorated with paintings of key events in the Buddha’s life, and the temple supports a school for local children.

Look for

  • The wooden temple architecture
  • Paintings of the Buddha’s life
  • The temple bell

Sources: Outlook Traveller: Explore Bodh Gaya; eSamskriti: Bodh Gaya temples

Japan

Daijokyo Temple and the Great Buddha Statue

Temple 1983, Great Buddha 1989

The Japanese Daijokyo sect built a temple here, inaugurated in 1983, and the landmark Great Buddha Statue, a seated Buddha of sandstone and red granite blocks consecrated by the 14th Dalai Lama in November 1989.

Look for

  • The Great Buddha and the ten disciples beside it
  • The bronze Buddha brought from Japan

Sources: eSamskriti: Bodh Gaya temples; Wikipedia: Great Buddha (Bodh Gaya)

Vietnam

Vietnamese Temple

Built in 2002, according to Outlook Traveller

One of the newer temples, a short walk from the Mahabodhi Temple, known for its statue of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion.

Look for

  • The statue of Avalokiteshvara

Source: Outlook Traveller: Explore Bodh Gaya

South Korea

Bunhwangsa (Korean Temple)

Opened in May 2022

Built by the Jogye Order, Korea’s largest Buddhist order, close to the Mahabodhi Temple. It has a Buddha hall, a meditation hall, pilgrim quarters and a clinic for local residents. Its name refers to a lotus that stays clean while growing out of mud.

Look for

  • Korean-style temple architecture

Source: Daum News (Korean), 18 May 2022

Also in Bodh Gaya

Other temples you may pass include the Nepalese Monastery, Bangladesh Buddhist Monastery, Vien Giac Institute (Vietnamese) and Kagyu Karma Temple. New temples continue to open, so ask us what’s worth seeing during your stay.

Visiting respectfully

  • Opening times differ from temple to temple and change during festivals, retreats and the hot season. Check at the gate or ask us before setting out.
  • Dress modestly, remove shoes where asked, and walk clockwise around shrines and stupas.
  • Ask before photographing monks, nuns or ceremonies, and keep phones silent in prayer halls.
  • Donation boxes support the monasteries. Give what you feel is right.

Facts are drawn from the sources linked on each entry, researched in October 2026. If you spot something out of date, please tell us.

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