Bodhgaya, in the north-eastern Indian state of Bihar is the centre of
the universe for Buddhists of no matter what school of Buddhism. It was
here, in 531 BC, that a young prince called Siddhartha Gautama sat under a spreading peepul
or Bodhi tree (Ficus religiosa) to
meditate on the nature of life and death. For a period of some six
years he remained in a contemplative state accepting to eat little
more than a grain of rice each day. Finally the young ascetic attained
the `higher state` known as Nirvana or enlightenment.
Henceforth
becoming known as the Buddha - " the enlightened or awakened one" - he left Bodhgaya to continue his search for the ultimate Truth which lead to
a lifetime of major disciplines.
Ananda, one of the Buddha`s most trusted disciples is said to have named four
places, (the "Four Wonders") that a Buddhist should
endeavour to visit during his life on earth: Lumbini, Buddha's
birthplace in the foothills of the Himalayas in Nepal, Bodhgaya, the site
of his enlightenment, Sarnath in the state of Uttar Pradesh where he preached his first sermon at the request of the Hindu
god Indra, and Kushinagar, also in Uttar Pradesh, where he gave
his final sermon in 543BC.
All these places and in particular the sacred site of Bodhgaya attract Buddhist pilgrims who come to meditate and study the Dharma texts and to perform
various rituals at the Mahabodhi Stupa near the ruins of the original built by the
Indian Emperor Ashoka in 250 BC commemorating the life and
teachings of Buddha.
The present Mahabodhi Temple of Great Enlightenment raised
between 5-12c. AD represents the Indian genius
at temple-building of the time. Its main pyramidal sikhara
sanctuary tower lavishly sculpted
with reliefs rising to a height of 50 metres is believed
to contain sacred relics of Buddha.
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The interior of the temple is dark, cool and serene, its quiet broken
only by the soft and hypnotic chanting of monks at prayer times. The
focus is an awesome statue of the Buddha made of black stone
and draped in orange
robes, said to be over 1,500 years old. Facing it is a
Shiva lingam, symbolic of the mostly harmonious relationship between
Buddhists and Hindus, of whom some believe the Buddha to be an
incarnation of Lord Shiva.
Behind the temple is the sacred Bodhi tree under which the imminent
Buddha sat and where upon attaining Enlightenment, he is said to
have spent a whole week standing in front of it with
unblinking eyes, gazing up in gratitude.
Buddhist chronicles say the present tree is a cutting from the Sri
Mahabodhi tree planted in Anurādhapura (Ceylon) in 288BC. It spreading
branches covered with heart-shaped leaves are always festooned with flowers
and
prayer flags brought by pilgrims who make their offering
then walk slowly around it performing one, three or seven
circumambulations, always an odd number according to tradition.
Upon completing the ritual, they prostrate before the vajrasana
`diamond throne,` a large rectangular piece of polished red sandstone
believed to be the actual seat where Buddha attained enlightenment.
To the north of the temple is the Cankamana cloisters walk,
marking the place where the Buddha paced back and forth in deep
meditation. Lotus flowers are carved in the stone after
records saying that a lotus flower sprang up wherever the Buddha had
placed his feet. A small shrine on the left of the entrance contains a
circular stone is said to bear his actual footprints.
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The major Buddhist countries - China. Tibet, Nepal, Myanmar,
Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Vietnam, Laos Cambodia, Thailand, South Korea and
Japan have all built temples or monasteries featuring their indigenous
styles of architecture in and around Bodhgaya. Some provide
accommodation and there are small guest houses in the vicinity.
Winter in India - October until February - is the
peak pilgrim season, when thousands of Tibetan monks and nuns arrive from Dharamsala
the Dalai Lama`s headquarters in northern India. The Kathina
Civara Dana or the Robe-offering Ceremony is held after the `Rains
Retreat` when lay devotees offer new robes to the monks. Another big occasion is the Full Moon night
in May (the time of the Buddha`s birth) when many pilgrims come to
celebrate his Nirvana.
While a majority of visitors are devout monks and nuns, religious tourists also come
to experience the spiritual significance of Bodhgaya and to reflect on the surreal passage of time which sees greater numbers of people
than ever before converting to Buddhism.
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Covering nearly 6 hectares, the Mahabodhi complex
including the temple along with its several votive stupas surrounding
the sacred sites were inscribed on the UN World
Heritage List in 2002. This is done so, to offer Rn the
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