Bodh Gaya

Bodh Gaya
—  city  —
Bodh Gaya Location of Bodh Gaya in Bihar and India
Coordinates	24°41′42″N 84°59′29″E / 24.695102°N 84.991275°E / 24.695102; 84.991275Coordinates: 24°41′42″N 84°59′29″E / 24.695102°N 84.991275°E / 24.695102; 84.991275
Country	India
State	Bihar
District(s)	Gaya
Population	30,883 (2001[update])
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)

Bodh Gaya or Bodhgaya (Hindi: बोधगया) is a religious site and place of pilgrimage associated with the Mahabodhi Temple Complex in Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place where Gautama Buddha is said to have obtained Enlightenment (Bodhimandala).

The name Bodh Gaya did not come into use until the 18th century ad. Historically, it was known as Uruvela, Sambodhi, Vajrasana or Mahabodhi.^[1] The main monastery of Bodh Gaya used to be called the Bodhimanda-vihāra (Pali). Now it is called the Mahabodhi Temple.

For Buddhists, Bodh Gaya is the most important of the main four pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha, the other three being Kushinagar, Lumbini, and Sarnath. In 2002, Mahabodhi Temple, located in Bodh Gaya, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.^[2]

The surrounding town, by contrast, is dusty and somewhat noisy.^[3] A new development plan has been proposed to "ensure a sustainable and prosperous future" for Bodh Gaya, but has become controversial because such a plan may require the relocation of whole neighborhoods.^[4]

History

A small temple beneath the Bodhi tree, Bodh Gaya, built in 7th century, after the original built by Mauryan Emperor Ashoka in 3rd century BC, ca. 1810^[5]

Pilgrimage to Buddha's Holy Sites
The Four Main Sites
Lumbini · Bodh Gaya Sarnath · Kushinagar
Four Additional Sites
Sravasti · Rajgir Sankissa · Vaishali
Other Sites
Patna · Gaya · Kosambi Kapilavastu · Devadaha Kesariya · Pava Nalanda · Varanasi
Later Sites
Sanchi · Mathura Ellora · Ajanta · Vikramshila Ratnagiri · Udayagiri · Lalitgiri Bharhut · Barabar Caves
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Offerings found in Bodh Gaya under the "Enlightenment Throne of the Buddha", with a decorated coin of the Kushan emperor Huvishka, 3rd century CE.

According to Buddhist traditions, circa 500 BC Prince Gautama Siddhartha, wandering as an ascetic, reached the sylvan banks of Falgu River, near the city of Gaya. There he sat in meditation under a bodhi tree (Ficus religiosa). After three days and three nights of meditation, Siddharta claimed to have attained enlightenment and insight, and the answers that he had sought. He then spent seven weeks at seven different spots in the vicinity meditating and considering his experience. After seven weeks, he travelled to Sarnath, where he began teaching Buddhism.

Disciples of Gautama Siddhartha began to visit the place during the full moon in the month of Vaisakh (April–May), as per the Hindu calendar. Over time, the place became known as Bodh Gaya, the day of enlightenment as Buddha Purnima, and the tree as the Bodhi Tree.

The history of Bodh Gaya is documented by many inscriptions and pilgrimage accounts. Foremost among these are the accounts of the Chinese pilgrims Faxian in the 5th century and Xuanzang in the 7th century. The area was at the heart of a Buddhist civilization for centuries, until it was conquered by Turkic armies in the 13th century.

Mahabodhi Temple

Mahabodhi temple

Main article: Mahabodhi Temple

The complex, located about 96 kilometres from Patna, at 24°41′43″N 84°59′38″E / 24.69528°N 84.99389°E / 24.69528; 84.99389,^[6] contains the Mahabodhi Temple with the diamond throne (called the Vajrasana) and the holy Bodhi tree. This tree was originally a sapling of the Sri Maha Bodhi tree in Sri Lanka, itself grown from a sapling of the original Bodhi tree.

It is believed that 250 years after the Enlightenment of the Buddha, Emperor Asoka visited Bodh Gaya. He is considered to be the founder of the original Mahabodhi temple. It consisted of an elongated spire crowned by a miniature stupa and a chhatravali on a platform. A double flight of steps led up to the platform and the upper sanctum. The mouldings on the spire contained Buddha images in niches. Some historians believe that the temple was constructed or renovated in the 1st century during the Kushan period. With the decline of Buddhism in India, the temple was abandoned and forgotten, buried under layers of soil and sand.

The temple was later restored by Sir Alexander Cunningham in the late 19th century.^{[citation needed]} In 1883, Cunningham along with J. D. Beglar and Dr Rajendralal Miitra painstakingly excavated the site. Extensive renovation work was carried out to restore Bodh Gaya to its former glory.

Other Buddhist temples

Kittisirimegha of Sri Lanka, a contemporary of Samudragupta, erected with the permission of Samudragupta, a Sanghārāma near the Mahābodhi-vihāra, chiefly for the use of the Singhalese monks who went to worship the Bodhi tree. The circumstances in connection with the Sanghārāma are given by Hiouen Thsang (Beal, op. cit., 133ff) who gives a description of it as seen by himself. It was probably here that Buddhaghosa met the Elder Revata who persuaded him to come to Ceylon.

Several Buddhist temples and monasteries have been built by the people of Bhutan, China, Japan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sikkim, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Tibet and Vietnam in a wide area around the Mahabodhi Temple. These buildings reflect the architectural style, exterior and interior decoration of their respective countries. The statue of Buddha in the Chinese temple is 200 years old and was brought from China. Japan's Nippon temple is shaped like a pagoda. The Myanmar (Burmese) temple is also pagoda shaped and is reminiscent of Bagan. The Thai temple has a typical sloping, curved roof covered with golden tiles. Inside, the temple holds a massive bronze statue of Buddha. Next to the Thai temple is 25 meter statue of Buddha ^[7] located within a garden which has existed there for over 100 years.

Demographics

As of 2001^[update] India census,^[8] Bodh Gaya had a population of 30,883. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Bodh Gaya has an average literacy rate of 51%, lower than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 63% and female literacy of 38%. 18% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Transportation

• Bodhgaya is about 12 Km from Gaya City.The NH38 Highway connects Gaya and Bodhgaya.
• The Bihar State Tourism Development provides travel facility from Patna to Bodh Gaya.
• Bodh Gaya to Varanasi Bus service (INR. 400)
• Varanasi to Kathmandu Bus service (INR. 1000)

Airport

5 kilometres from Bodhgaya is the Gaya Airport, also known as A N Bodhgaya Airport.

Notes

1. ^ A History of Bodh Gaya by Venerable S. Dhammika
2. ^ "Decisions adopted by the 26th Session of the World Heritage Committee" (PDF). World Heritage Committee. pp. 62. http://whc.unesco.org/archive/2002/whc-02-conf202-25e.pdf#decision.23.15. Retrieved 2006-07-10. 
3. ^ "Austin Pick: Aboard the Mahabodhi Express". http://www.fudomouth.net/intertext/ap_subcontinent05.htm. Retrieved 2008-12-28. 
4. ^ "Memorandum: Regarding Bodhgaya" (PDF). http://www.bodhgayanews.net/pdf/BodhgayaMemorandum.pdf. Retrieved 2008-12-28. 
5. ^ Bodhi Tree British Library.
6. ^ "Information Dossier for nomination of Mahabodhi Temple Complex, Bodhgaya as a World Heritage Site" (PDF). Government of India. pp. 4. http://whc.unesco.org/p_dynamic/sites/passfile.cfm?filename=1056rev&filetype=pdf&category=nominations. Retrieved 2006-07-10. 
7. ^ Buddha statue
8. ^ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20040616075334/http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999. Retrieved 2008-11-01. 

See also

• Mahabodhi Temple
• Bodhi Tree

External links

• Bodh Gaya - Video and Photo Gallery of Bodh Gaya, and description of how the Buddha spent His seven weeks in Bodh Gaya.
• Detailed history of Bodhgaya by Ven. S. Dhammika.
• Photos of Mahabodhi Temple & Bodhgaya
• Mahabodhi Temple Video Tour - Video Gallery of main sites in Mahabodhi Temple, narrated in Sinhalese.
• Bodh Gaya Video Tour - Video Gallery of main sites in Bodh Gaya, narrated in Sinhalese.
• Description of Bodhgaya by the Chinese pilgrim monk Faxian (399-414 AC)