Vishnupad Templeविष्णुपद मंदिर
Vishnu's footprint on the Phalgu, where India comes to feed its ancestors each Pitru Paksha.
See what is open on your dateOpen in Google MapsWhereGaya, Bihar
Magadh
Magadh
Kind of placeTemples & Shrines, Pilgrimage Routes
Best time to visit15 October to 15 March and 15 September to 15 October
Good seasonsPost-monsoon (October to November), Winter (December to February)
DifficultyEasy
Time needed2 hrs
Base and nearbyGaya town, Gaya Junction
EntryFree · pandas for pind daan charge by the ritual
About Vishnupad Temple
A 40-cm footprint of Vishnu pressed into basalt is the object of worship, and around it Ahilyabai Holkar built the present grey granite temple in 1787, with a 30-metre octagonal tower. Gaya is where Hindus come to perform pind daan for their ancestors, and in the Pitru Paksha fortnight of September or October the town becomes a fair on the dry bed of the Phalgu. Only Hindus may enter the sanctum.
What to see and do
- The footprint of Vishnu in the sanctum
- Ahilyabai Holkar granite temple, 1787
- Pitru Paksha Mela each September or October
- Pind daan on the Phalgu riverbed
- Akshayavat banyan and Pretshila hill on the circuit
Opening status, best time and closures here are estimates from usual seasons and past patterns, not live information. Confirm with the local authority before you go. Terms of use
More places in Gaya
- Brahmayoni HillGaya, Bihar · Pilgrimage Routes440 steps up the hill where the Buddha gave the Fire Sermon, for the best view over Gaya.
- Dungeshwari (Mahakala) CavesGaya, Bihar · CavesThe hill caves where the Buddha starved for six years before choosing the middle way.
- Mahabodhi Temple, Bodh GayaGaya, Bihar · Pilgrimage RoutesWhere the Buddha found enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. UNESCO site, best at dawn or after dark.
- Mangla Gauri TempleGaya, Bihar · Temples & ShrinesA Shakti Peeth on a low hill in Gaya, ten minutes' climb from Vishnupad.
- Great Buddha StatueGaya, Bihar · Monuments & HeritageThe 80-foot meditating Buddha of Bodh Gaya, consecrated by the Dalai Lama in 1989.
- Sujata Stupa, BakraurGaya, Bihar · Monuments & HeritageThe brick stupa across the river marking the home of Sujata, who fed the Buddha kheer.
- The Monasteries of Bodh GayaGaya, Bihar · Pilgrimage RoutesThai, Japanese, Bhutanese and Tibetan monasteries in one small town. Busiest December to February.
- Bodh Gaya Archaeological MuseumGaya, Bihar · MuseumsThe ASI museum holding the original railing pillars of the Mahabodhi Temple. Closed Fridays.
All places in Gaya · All places in Bihar
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Jagah Pedia is a free travel guide by Santosh Pandey. Status, timings and closures are estimates from usual patterns, so confirm locally before you travel.