Gaya (India)

Gaya
Vishnupad Temple, Gaya Airport, Sujata Stupa
Gaya is located in Bihar
Gaya
Gaya
Location of Gaya in Bihar
Gaya is located in India
Gaya
Gaya
Gaya (India)
Coordinates: 24°45′N 85°01′E / 24.75°N 85.01°E / 24.75; 85.01
Country India
State Bihar
RegionMagadha
DivisionMagadh Division
DistrictGaya
Named forGayasura
Government
 • TypeMunicipal corporation
 • BodyGaya Nagar Nigam
 • MayorGanesh Paswan
 • Deputy MayorMohan Shrivastava
Area
 • Total308 km2 (119 sq mi)
 • Rank21(india), 3rd (Bihar)
Elevation
111 m (364 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total470,839[1]
 • Rank102 (India) 2nd (Bihar)
 • Density9,490/km2 (24,600/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Gayaite, Gayavi[4]
Languages
 • OfficialHindi, English
 • SpokenMagahi
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
823001 - 13
Telephone code91-631
ISO 3166 codeIN-BR
Vehicle registrationBR-02
Railway StationGaya Junction
AirportGaya International Airport
Websitegaya.nic.in//

Gaya (IAST: Gayā) is a city, municipal corporation and the administrative headquarters of Gaya district and Magadh division of the Indian state of Bihar. Gaya is 116 kilometres (72 mi) south of Patna and is the state's second-largest city, with a population of 470,839. The city is surrounded on three sides by small, rocky hills (Mangla-Gauri, Shringa-Sthan, Ram-Shila, and Brahmayoni), with the Phalgu River on its eastern side.

It is a city of historical significance and is one of the major tourist attractions in India. Gaya is sanctified in the Jain, Hindu, and Buddhist religions. Gaya district is mentioned in the great epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. It is the place where Rama, with Sita and Lakshmana, came to offer piṇḍadāna for their father, Dasharatha, and continues to be a major Hindu pilgrimage site for the piṇḍadāna ritual. Bodh Gaya, where Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment, is one of the four holy sites of Buddhism.

Gaya was chosen as one of twelve heritage cities to benefit from the Government of India's four-year Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) scheme for urban planning, economic growth and heritage conservation projects.[5]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference census2011 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Gaya Municipal Corporation". The Times of India. 31 August 2019. Archived from the original on 15 September 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  3. ^ "City Development Plan for Gaya: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY" (PDF). Urban Development and Housing Department, Government of Bihar. p. 4. https://gaya.nic.in//Docs/CDP/CDP-Gaya.pdf Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 September 2014. Retrieved 8 October 2012. {{cite web}}: Check |archive-url= value (help)
  4. ^ "Two Bihar boys in top 10 of civil services". Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  5. ^ HRIDAY National Project Management Unit, National Institute of Urban Affairs, Ministry of Urban Development Government of India (21 January 2015). "Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana" (PDF). www.hridayindia.in. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 May 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2018.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)