Gaya (India)
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 India
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| State : | Bihar | ||
| District : | Gaya | ||
| Location : | 24 ° 48 ′ N , 85 ° 0 ′ E | ||
| Height : | 120 m | ||
| Area : | 50.17 km² | ||
| Residents : | 474.093 (2011) | ||
| Population density : | 9450 inhabitants / km² | ||
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Gaya ( Hindi : गया ) is a city in the northern Indian state of Bihar with almost 500,000 inhabitants. It is the administrative seat of the district of the same name .
location
Gaya is located on the southern edge of the Ganges plain about 100 km (driving distance) south of Patna , the capital of Bihar, on the bank of the Falgu, which usually falls dry in spring, at an altitude of about 120 m above sea level. d. M.
population
Official population statistics have only been kept and published since 1991.
| year | 1991 | 2001 | 2011 |
| Residents | 291,675 | 389.192 | 474.093 |
A good 79.5% of the majority of the Magadhi , Hindi and Urdu- speaking population are Hindus , about 18.5% are Muslims ; other religions such as Sikhs , Buddhists , Jains and Christians etc. form numerically small minorities. The male population is about 12% higher than the female population.
economy
The area around Gaya is largely agricultural and crossed by irrigation canals; Craftsmen, traders and service providers of all kinds have settled in the city itself.
history
In the 6th and 5th centuries BC The Magadha dynasty resided in the region ; According to tradition, Siddharta Gautama , the later Buddha , and Mahavira , the founder of Jainism , also visited the city during this time . Little is known about Gaya's medieval history; it was certainly shaped by the conflict between Hindus and the advancing Islam , to which all old temples fell victim and also any remaining traces of Buddhism were destroyed. Around 1486, in the city of Sasaram, about 140 km to the west, Sher Khan Suri was born, who in the years after 1531 managed to bring large parts of Bihar and Bengal under his control; he tightened and organized the Mughal Empire and had large parts of the later Grand Trunk Road laid out and fortified. The city has been under British control since the 19th century .
Attractions
- The main temple of the city is the Vishnupada Temple on the banks of the Falgu. In it a footprint of Vishnu is shown. The current building with its Shikhara tower above the cella ( garbhagriha ) resembles classical north Indian temples; However, it only dates back to 1787. Steps ( ghats ) lead down to the often dry river bed .
- Also of great religious importance is the Mangla Gauri Temple, located on a hill and already mentioned in ancient texts, which is dedicated to a mother goddess ( devi ). However, today's temple was not built until the 16th century. In the temple area, which also includes shrines for Kali , Shiva , Ganesha and Hanuman , an ever-burning fire is maintained, at which the residents of the city could supply themselves with embers for their hearth.
- Numerous other temples, some with a temple pond , are located in the city or in its outer areas.
- Surroundings
- About 15 km south of Gaya is Bodhgaya , where Gautama Buddha achieved enlightenment . In Gaya the Buddha taught the Fire Sutta to 1000 monks (Adittapariyaya Sutta, p.35.28 in the Pali Canon ).
- Approx. 31 km to the north are the Barabar caves from the 3rd century BC, which are fundamental for Indian cave architecture . Chr.
Web links
- Gaya , in the Buddhist dictionary of Pali names
- Gaya, Vishnupada Temple (Wikipedia, English)
- Gaya, Mangla Gauri Temple (Wikipedia, English)
