GAYA

city, west-central Bihar state, northeastern India. It lies along the Phalgu River, a tributary of the Ganges. With major rail, road, and air connections, Gaya is a major centre of commerce. The city lies near the junction of the Gangetic Plain and the Chota Nagpur plateau and is notoriously hot in summer. Gaya is a noted Hindu pilgrimage centre, visited by about 300,000 pilgrims annually. There are 45 sacred places between Pretsil hill (north) and Bodh Gaya (south), but most are in Gaya itself. The main shrine is the Vishnu temple built by the Maratha princess Ahalya Bai in 1787. Others are the rocky, temple-covered hills of Ramsilla and Brahmajini, the latter identified with the Gayasirsa hill on which the Buddha preached. The village of Bodh Gaya, 6 miles (10 km) south of Gaya, is famous as the site of the Buddha's enlightenment. Gaya has several libraries and several colleges affiliated with Magadh University. It was constituted a municipality in 1865. In the surrounding region, grains, oilseeds, and sugarcane are grown with the aid of irrigation from the Son, Punpun, Morhar, and Phalgu rivers and the Patna Canal system. Building stone and mica deposits are worked in the region. Pop. (1991 prelim.) 291,220.