But my all-too human aches fled when I entered the sprawling silence of the Mahabodhi Temple complex and let the serenity of the centuries-old shrine wash over me.
There, under the canopy of an ancient peepul tree, where the rustling of leaves mingled with the quiet, rhythmic chanting of mantras and the clicking of prayer beads, sat a group of saffron-robed Buddhist monks engrossed in prayer.
The elaborately carved Mahabodhi Temple, Buddhism's holiest shrine and a popular destination for nirvana seekers, marks the site where the prince-turned-hermit-turned-spiritual-leader, Gautama Siddhartha, attained enlightenment some 2,500 years ago after intense meditation.
From then on, he was known as the Buddha, or "Enlightened One."
Today, there are an estimated 360 million Buddhists around the globe.
Bihar is a checkerboard of Buddhist holy sites.
A few hours drive from Bodh Gaya is the town of Rajgir, where the Buddha taught and prayed. Nearby is Nalanda, one of the world's earliest universities, which flourished in the 5th century B.C.
The state is also an increasingly important stop for wealthy tourists, many seeking their own, luxurious form of enlightenment.
For years, those tourists were largely people who grew up Buddhist, often in Japan, Thailand or Sri Lanka. But increasingly, Buddhism's appeal has spread to the West, where the Buddha's teachings about nonviolence and spiritualism have been melded with beliefs ranging from Judaism to atheism.
But Bihar isn't ready-made for wealthy tourists.
While India's economic boom has spurred economic development in many regions, Bihar has lagged badly, with a state government nearly paralyzed by corruption and mismanagement. Tourists are advised to return to their hotels before dark and to stick to government-licensed taxis and buses to avoid being -- literally -- taken for a ride.
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