Bhutan King and Queen offers prayers at Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya

Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Queeen, Jetsun Pema, prayed at the Buddhist shrine of Mahabodhi Temple in BodhGaya in Bihar during their visit to the city.

On Sunday around 12.00 noon the royal couple reached the city and in the afternoon, they visited the temple. A group of delegates from Bhutan also accompanied the royal couple.

District magistrate, Gaya, Sanjay Kumar Agarwal, said the royal couple spent around one and half hours at the temple and asked about different facts related to it.

"The Bhutan King and Queen have come here and they will stay here for three days. They have visited the Mahabodhi Temple and they will visit other tourist attractions. They will visit Nalanda and Rajgir. We have made several arrangements regarding their visit and all Bodhgaya people are happy. The royal couple enjoyed their visit," said Agarwal.

The Mahabodhi Temple complex is located in Bodh Gaya, the place where Lord Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment.

The central stupa or dome of the temple rises 187 feet above the ground of the ancient temple which is believed to have been built nearly 1500 years ago.

An ancient pipal tree, Ficus religiosa or sacred fig, grows at the back of the temple, said to be a descendent of the one Buddha sat under for three days and nights in the sixth century BC, before finding the answers he sought under a full moon.

In the year 2002, the UNESCO declared Mahabodhi Temple as a World Heritage Site.