Twenty-six centuries ago, Prince Siddharth Gautama (the Buddah) transformed himself into the enlightened one underneath the Bodhi tree. Bodhgaya is the most important Buddhist pilgrimage site in the world and thousands are drawn here to study and meditate. A world heritage site, the Mahabodhi Temple is an inspiring place to worship, meditate or just absorb the ambience of hundreds of chanting monks. Buddhist temples representing many countries are found here, including Japanese, Thai, Tibetan, Chinese, Burmese, Bhutanese, Vietnamese, Tamang, Daijokyo, and Nepalese.