BODH GAYA History And Origins :

Bodhgaya is a small but internationally renowned town of immense religious and cultural significance, located in the

Gaya District of Bihar, India. Its claim to fame lies in the fact that Lord Buddha attained enlightenment here more than 2500

years ago under the Bodhi tree. It is thus considered as thegeographical centre of the Buddhist world by followers of this

faith worldwide.

LOCATION Bodhgaya is located in Gaya district of Bihar, which shares common

boundaries with Jehanabad district towards the North, Aurangabad district towards the west, Hazaribagh and Chatra districts towards the south and Nawada and Koderma (Jharkhand) districts towards the east. It is located approximately 13 kms south of the town of Gaya and about 125 kms from Patna, the state capital. Its geographical location is 24° 41’ 45” N. latitude and 85° 2’ 22” E longitudes.  

LINKAGE

 

Bodhgaya is directly linked by road and air to the surrounding region. The National Highway 1 (G.T. Road), passes through the town, connecting Delhi and Kolkata, as well as other significant centers like Patna, and Varanasi. Bodhgaya is also close to an international airport, which is 8 kms from the town. The nearest railhead to Bodhgaya is at Gaya, 13 kilometers from the town. Several important trains pass through this station and it is connected to a number of important cities in India.

ECONOMIC BASE 

Agriculture A survey of households in Bodhgaya confirmed that employment is mostly in

primary sector occupations with over 50% of the sample being employed as labourers. Industries There are few agro-based industries such as flourmills on the Gaya Dhobi road and a

go down on the riverside road. While there is no established household industrial sector, activities such as blanket making and weaving are local crafts that are practiced.

Religious tourism  People of all religions but mostly Buddhists are drawn to the land of

enlightenment. Tourism is a significant contributor to Bodhgaya’s economy. It is the lifeblood of the town, as the population directly or indirectly thrives on the extensive tourist influx within the town.

Tourist Trends In the last decade, tourist arrivals in Bodhgaya have shown an upward

trend. In 2012 about 2.1 lakhs tourists visited Bodhgaya out of which nearly 31,000 were foreign tourists. An analysis of tourist flow indicates that the peak season for tourist arrivals is during November to January, and from July to September.

DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS Town Population growth trend

According to projection the population will reach 1.2 lakhs by the year 2031.

1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 2001 201105000

1000015000200002500030000350004000045000

5628 6299 898815724

21892

30888

38349

Population vs Year

Social composition of population

The percentage of persons below poverty line is not very high and has been steadily declining, according to the data available with the local administration. This could be a testament to rising income levels in Bodhgaya. Presently, about 8% of the population is below poverty line.

 

Sex Ratio A study of the sex ratio shows a

worrying trend of low sex ratios. The trend of declining sex ratios seen all over India is visible here too. This misbalance could cause social problems in the near future. However, one of the reasons for this could be the institutional population of monks who are predominantly male, resulting in a skewed picture for Bodhgaya.

Population Distribution

Male Female

Literacy Rate

Se-ries1

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%

Male literacy % Female literacy %

PRESENT CHARACTERISTICS Landuse % :

1%12%

1%0%

10%2%

4%

3%68%

0%

Special areas ResidentialCommercial IndustrialPublic and Semi public Religious UsesRecreational TransportationAgriculture Others

Housing According to the 2001 census, there are 4672 households in Bodhgaya that account for an

overall population of 30,448 persons. The town shows a trend of increasing household size, which is in stark contradiction to the country wide trend of lowering in house hold sizes. This may be due to the nominal increase in the number of institutional households compared to the increase in the overall number of households in Bodhgaya.

TRAFFIC & TRANSPORTATIONThe town of Bodh Gaya faces several traffic issues such as

Traffic BottlenecksTraffic CongestionPoor Road ConditionPoor Road Geometrics And Junction DesignLack Of Public Transport SystemLack Of Organised Parking Spaces Water Supply The existing source of water supply to Bodhgaya town is ground water. Water is supplied to the town by

drawing water through a number of powered tube well (TW) s as a part of the organised water supply system. In addition to these tube wells, numbers of hand pumps also provide water to individual houses. At present water table is high and there is no need for immediate measures for rainwater harvesting.

 

SEWAGE TREATMENT SYSTEM

No sewerage system is presently functioning in Bodhgaya town. In the past, a sewerage system was introduced in the town. The sewerage system consisted of a sewer network and four Sewage Pumping Station (SPS)s. Raw sewage was being pumped to Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) from these four SPS. At present, the entire sewerage system including the STP is not-functioning and lying abandoned.

At present the sewage generated from the individual houses, monasteries, temples and other

establishments is either directly discharged into the nearby storm water drains without any treatment or after partial treatment through septic tanks.

SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT There is no organized system existing in Bodhgaya town to collect municipal

solid waste. House to house collection of solid waste is not in practice. Solid wastes generated by individuals are either dumped on the roadside or thrown into the open and low lands . During monsoon, wastes from these dumping sites are washed out and flow either to the river, drains or flood adjacent areas.

ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION The Bodhgaya Town Panchayat is responsible for the development of the entire town of

Bodhgaya encompassing the Municipal area. The other important functions of the Town Panchayat include education, health, drainage, garbage collection and taxation. The Town Panchayat, Bodhgaya is responsible for the development of the entire town of Bodhgaya encompassing the Municipal area.

CONCLUSION From the above research and data i can conclude that Bodh Gaya has plenty of

opportunities for development since the town is a major pilgrimage and religious site of the country , it has a rich heritage and culture since the time of Lord Buddha. It also has the right mix of resources, natural environment, cultural events and spiritual ambience to develop as an exclusive spiritual destination where high-end pilgrims come for physical and spiritual rejuvenation. Secondly its status as a world heritage site ensures international and national interest, and potential for investment. Apart from that various southeastern countries have constructed their monasteries in Bodhgaya. These monasteries are reflective of the rich architectural heritage of these countries. These are valuable cultural resources of the town also add to the international profile of the town. Bodhgaya has good accessibility by road and air.

But the town is facing several drawbacks such as poor security perception , tourist

infrastructure, lack of adequate information and assessment of Buddhist archaeological heritage and lack of technical and administrative manpower to implement the plan.

If these drawbacks are eliminated then the town can surely become one of the major

tourist attraction of not only India but also the world.