Over 5,000 persons, including Buddhist monks, participated in the Gyan Yatra on Wednesday morning, tracing the route Prince Siddharth took before becoming Gautam Buddha.

The Gyan Yatra (journey to enlightenment) was aimed at developing a direct route from Dhungeshwari to Bodhgaya, which would help reduce the distance to just 8km. At present, devotees and tourists wanting to visit Dhungeshwari hills have to take a longer, 17km-route through the Gaya-Bodhgaya bypass road.

Dhungeshwari holds an eminent place in Buddhist history, as prince Siddhartha practiced meditation for six years in the Prag Bodhi caves on the hills before his journey to attain enlightenment under the Bodhi tree at the Mahabodhi Mahavihara. The route from Dhungeshwari to Mahabodhi Mahavihara was the last journey he undertook before attaining enlightenment.

On Wednesday, Gyan Yatra participants walked 8km from Pragbodhi caves on the Dhungeshwari hills to the Mahabodhi Mahavihara. The walk, an initiative of Gaya district magistrate Sanjay Kumar Agarwal, was organised jointly by the state tourism department, Gaya district administration and the Bodhgaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC). The state tourist department and Gaya district administration plan to develop the route as Gyan Marg and provide facilities to tourists.

The march began with the chanting of Buddhist sutras in the Mahayana tradition. Among the 5,000 participants were over 1,000 monks from Japan, Thailand, Bhutan, Myanmar, Vietnam, Tibet and South Korea, Laos, China and Bangladesh. Notable participants included Mahabodhi Mahavihara chief monk Bhikkhu Chalinda, BTMC secretary Nangzey Dorjee, BTMC member Arvind Singh, JDU MLA from Gaya's Barachatti segment Jyoti Devi and others. Representatives from Bodhgaya-based tour and travel associations, hotels, NGOs and common people also participated.

Some schoolchildren joined the walk mid-way. Participants received khada (a pious piece of cloth in Buddhist tradition) and the panchsheel flag. At Bodhgaya, they prayed under the sacred Bodhi tree.

State tourism department principal secretary Deepak Prasad said: 'Our department would ensure more facilities en route.' District magistrate Sanjay said participants had to cross the Muhane and Niranjana rivers. 'There is already a bridge over the Niranjana. We plan to build a foot over-bridge over the Muhane and also plant peepal saplings at regular intervals,' he said.