Gaya, city, south-central state of Bihar, northeastern India. The city is located along the Phalgu River, a tributary of the Ganges (Ganga). It is located near the junction of the Gangetic plain and the Chota Nagpur plateau and is notoriously hot in the summer Gaya has major rail, road and air links and is a regional trade center. The city is a pilgrimage site visited by hundreds of thousands of Hindu pilgrims every year. There are 45 holy sites between Pretsil Hill (north) and Bodh Gaya (south), but most of them are in Gaya itself. The main shrine is a temple dedicated to Vishnu that was built in 1787 by the Maratha princess Ahalya Bai. Others include the rocky, temple-covered hills of Ramsilla and Brahmajini, the latter identified with the Gayashirsa hill on which the Buddha preached. The town of Bodh Gaya, 10 km south of Gaya, is known as the place of the Buddhas enlightenment.
Gaya has several libraries and several colleges affiliated with Magadh University. A congregation was established in 1865. In the surrounding region, grains, oilseeds and sugar cane are grown using irrigation from the Son, Punpun, Morhar and Phalgu Rivers and the Patna Canal system. Building stone and mica deposits are processed in the region. Pop. (2001) city, 385,432; (2011) 468,614.
