Bodhgaya is in the Indian state of Bihar, one of the poorest and most economically underdeveloped states in India. The problems of poverty, landlessness, conflict over land tenure, inadequate health care, high infant mortality, inter-caste violence, crime and illiteracy hinder development at all levels.
Bodhgaya is also a primary Buddhist centre, being the place where Siddharta Gautama sat under the famous Bodhi tree and achieved enlightenment, and as such the town attracts considerable Buddhist pilgrims and visitors mostly for the short winter season of two months.
|