Because this is the holiest site in all of Buddhism, every country with a Buddhist population has built some kind of temple or monastery here. They’re quite beautiful and mostly fill me with the desire to just spend months traveling around Asia to see all these other countries too.
The Thai temple was my absolute favorite, hands down. Outside above, inside below. My photos don’t capture the outstanding murals on the inside depicting some Buddhist stories set in Thailand. Just beautiful.
The Japanese temple was my second favorite. Simple but peaceful: long and open on the inside with cranes and kanji splashed across the ceiling tiles. I watched a few Indians light and wave incense, then sat alone in the quiet for a while.
I’m sorry to say I forget which temple this was. 90% sure it’s one of the Tibetan monasteries (of which there are several).
There is also a giant 80-foot Buddha statue in Bodhgaya, because of course.