!Mahabodhi Temple The Mahabodhi Temple (Literally: "Great Awakening Temple"), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is situated in the Mahabodhi Temple Complex in Bodh Gaya. This Buddhist temple is located in the state of Bihar in India. The Mahabodhi Temple is located at the very place where Lord Buddha is said to have gotten enlightenment. Bodh Gaya (located in Gaya district) is located about 96 km (60 mi) from Patna, the headquarters town of the Bihar state. The first temple was built by Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BC, and the present temple dates back from the 5th or 6th centuries. It is one of the earliest Buddhist temples built entirely with brick and yet standing from the late Gupta period. Next to the temple, on its western side, is the holy Bodhi tree. In the Pali Canon, the site is called Bodhimanda, and the monastery there the Bodhimanda Vihara. The tallest tower is 55 metres (180 ft) tall. The Vault of Mahabodhi Temple is being coated with Gold plates weighing 290 kg by the Government of Thailand .