Early morning scene at the Mahabodhi Temple, one of the holiest sites in Buddhism, originally built by Emperor Asoka in the 3rd century

---

The Mahabodhi Temple Complex is one of the four holy sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha, in particular to his attainment of Enlightenment. The first temple was built by Emperor Asoka in the 3rd century , and the present temple dates from the 5th or 6th centuries. It is one of the earliest Buddhist temples built entirely in brick, still standing in India, from the late Gupta period. The Mahabodhi Temple Complex was inscribed into the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2002.

---

Size: 5568px × 3712px
Location: Bodhgaya, India
Photo credit: © positivesoundvision / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

Keywords: architecture, artwork, ashoka, asoka, bihar, bodh, bodhgaya, bodhi, brick, buddha, buddhism, buddhist, complex, construction, earliest, emperor, enlightenment, faith, gateway, gautama, gaya, gupta, heritage, holiest, holy, important, india, indian, kushinagar, landmark, life, lumbini, mahabodhi, monastery, monument, morning, pilgrim, pilgrimage, prayers, religion, religious, sarnath, siddhartha, site, spiritual, temple, tree, unesco, uruvela, view, vihara, world