title: "Kālacakra Stūpa of Bodh Gaya" tradition_name: "Kālacakra — the Buddhist "Wheel of Time" teaching" category: "deity" description: "Kālacakra Stūpa of Bodh Gaya — Kālacakra — the Buddhist "Wheel of Time" teaching. Located in Gaya district, Bihar." tradition: ["Hindu", "Regional"] district: "Gaya" historical_period: "Oral tradition / medieval-modern" geographical_spread: "Bodh Gaya, Gaya, Bihar" audience_level: "All" verification_status: "UNVERIFIED" last_updated: "2026-04-24" mantra: "Regional invocations and hymns" sacred_offerings: ["flowers", "coconut", "oil lamp", "local-season fruits", "prasadam"] sacred_colours: ["saffron", "red", "yellow"] sources:
- { tier: 2, type: "book", title: "Regional temple chronicles and district gazetteers" }
- { tier: 3, type: "gazetteer", title: "Gaya District Gazetteer" } geo:
- country: "India" state: "Bihar" district: "Gaya" town: "Bodh Gaya" lat: 24.6965 lon: 84.9911 temples:
- name: "Kālacakra Stūpa of Bodh Gaya Temple" location: "Bodh Gaya" district: "Gaya" state: "Bihar" country: "India" built_century: "Medieval-modern" note: "Kālacakra — the Buddhist "Wheel of Time" teaching" lat: 24.6965 lon: 84.9911 festival_dates: ["Annual festival", "Weekly special-day worship"] festivals:
- name: "Annual Kālacakra Stūpa of Bodh Gaya festival" month: "Seasonally determined" duration: "1–15 days" worship: daily_rites: ["morning aarati", "noon abhisheka", "evening deepa-dhyana"] offerings_sequence: ["flowers", "coconut", "oil lamp", "prasadam"] stories:
- title: "The story of Kālacakra Stūpa of Bodh Gaya" source: "Sthala-puranam + community oral tradition" summary: "The Kālacakra teachings (transmitted from Shambhala to Tibet in the 10th c.) are given periodically at Bodh Gaya by the Dalai Lama — the most recent in 2017 drew 200,000+ international pilgrims. The Kālacakra is considered the highest yoga-tantra of Vajrayana Buddhism; initiation requires a commitment to the Bodhisattva path. Bodh Gaya is where the Kālacakra was taught by Buddha to King Sucandra of Shambhala; its site there today is honored by all Tibetan Buddhist schools (Gelug, Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya)." primary_scriptures:
- title: "Local sthala-puranam" type: "narrative oral/written"
Kālacakra Stūpa of Bodh Gaya
Kālacakra — the Buddhist "Wheel of Time" teaching
Location
- Place: Bodh Gaya, Gaya, Bihar (24.6965°N, 84.9911°E)
Story & Significance
The Kālacakra teachings (transmitted from Shambhala to Tibet in the 10th c.) are given periodically at Bodh Gaya by the Dalai Lama — the most recent in 2017 drew 200,000+ international pilgrims. The Kālacakra is considered the highest yoga-tantra of Vajrayana Buddhism; initiation requires a commitment to the Bodhisattva path. Bodh Gaya is where the Kālacakra was taught by Buddha to King Sucandra of Shambhala; its site there today is honored by all Tibetan Buddhist schools (Gelug, Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya).
Worship & Festival
Daily aarati (dawn + dusk); abhisheka; flower and coconut offerings; evening deepa-dhyana. Annual festival features procession, special darshan, distribution of prasadam, and gathering of community.
Why This Entry Matters
Each district of India has its own gods, stories, and sacred places. Cataloguing them — with real coordinates and authentic local tradition — respects the richness of India's lived religious diversity.