Bodhi Tree, Bodh Gaya

Contents:

• BODH GAYA
• MAHABODHI TEMPLE COMPLEX AT BODH GAYA
• BODH GAYA: THE SE OF THE BUDDHA’S ENLIGHTENMENT
• THGS TO DO BODH GAYA, INDIA - BODH GAYA ATTRACTNSTHGS TO DO BODH GAYA
• BODHI TREE, BODH GAYA
• BODH GAYA: A MT VIS DTATN FOR EVERY TRAVELER
• BODH GAYA: THE CY OF ENLIGHTENMENT BODH GAYA BEFORE 1899, BIHAR | © BOURNE & SHEPHERD, CALCUTTA/WIKICOMMONS SANGA SHA 03 JANUARY 2017 COPY LK FACEBOOK EMAIL TWTER PTERT SUATED BY THE BANK OF RIVER NERANJANA, THE INDIAN STATE OF BIHAR, LI THE SMALL TOWN OF BODH GAYA. BODH GAYA, OR BUDDHA-GAYA AS WAS POPULARLY LLED THE 19TH CENTURY, IS A SACRED PLACE FOR BUDDHISTS ALL OVER THE WORLD, AS THIS IS WHERE PRCE SIDDHARTHA BEME BUDDHA, THE ENLIGHTENED ONE. OF THE FOUR FAMO PILGRIMAGE S – THE OTHER THREE BEG LUMBI, WHERE SIDDHARTHA WAS BORN, KINAGAR, WHERE HE ENTERED NIRVANA AND SARNATH, WHERE HE HAD HIS FIRST SERMON — BODH GAYA IS THE MOST VISED ONE. BODH GAYA IS AS IMPORTANT TO BUDDHISM AS JESALEM AND MEC ARE TO THE OTHER GREAT RELIGNS OF THE WORLD. BUDDHISM HAS TRANSFORMED THE LIV OF LNS OF PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD, PECIALLY SOUTH EAST ASIA, CENTRAL ASIA, CHA, TIBET, KOREA AND JAPAN. IT IS THE FOURTH MOST FOLLOWED RELIGNS THE WORLD AND HAS AROUND 495 LN BELIEVERS, NSTUTG 7- 8% OF THE WORLD’S POPULATN AS OF 2010. VIEW ALL TRIPS HISTORY KNOWN AS UVILVA, AFTER BUDDHA’S ENLIGHTENMENT THE SE HAS BEEN KNOWN BY VAR NAM BASED ON THIS HISTORIC EVENT. WH TWO CENTURI OF THE ENLIGHTENMENT, THE NAME UVELA WAS REPLACED BY NEW ON LIKE SAMBODHI (MEANG ‘COMPLETE ENLIGHTENMENT’), BODHIMANDA (‘AWAKENG POSN’), VAJRASANA (MEANG ‘DIAMOND THRONE’) AND MAHABODHI (MEANG ‘GREAT ENLIGHTENMENT’). THE CY WAS NAMED SAMBODHI WHEN THE EMPEROR ASOKA MA A PILGRIMAGE TO THE SE THE YEAR 260 BC, THE 10TH YEAR OF HIS REIGN. HE CID TO BUILD A TEMPLE STCTURE TO MEMORATE BUDDHA’S ENLIGHTENMENT. THE FIRST TEMPLE STCTURE WAS AN OPEN PAVILN SUPPORTED ON PILLARS AND THE MIDDLE WAS THE VAJRASANA THRONE, THE ORIGAL SPOT UPON WHICH THE BUDDHA IS BELIEVED TO HAVE SAT AND MEDATED. OVER THE YEARS, THE TEMPLE WAS RENOVATED MANY TIM AND THE CURRENT STCTURE DAT TO THE GUPTA PERD THE 6TH CENTURY AD. HIN TSANG, THE CHE TRAVELER, IS SAID TO HAVE VISED THE CY THE 7TH CENTURY AND RERD THE EXISTENCE OF THE TEMPLE. TAKE A SP TO FD YOUR PERFECT SMALL-GROUP TRIP STATN PASSPORTS READY? YOUR NEXT STATN IS... VIEW TRIP SP SPA CROATIA ECUADOR GREECE ICELAND JAPAN EGYPT MEXI SOUTH AI MOROC THAILAND INDIA TURKEY BALI SAMBODHI DWAAR, BODHGAYA | © SANGA SHA HOWEVER, BY THE 13TH CENTURY, BUDDHISM BEGAN TO CLE, TERT THE CY WANED, AND THE TEMPLE WAS LOST THE S. IN THE LATE 19TH-CENTURY, BODH GAYA WAS REDISVERED DUE TO LARGE SLE EXVATNS AND RENSTCTNS RRIED OUT BY ALEXANR CUNNGHAM, A RETIRED BRISH ARMY ENGEER WH AN TERT ARCHAEOLOGY AND ANTIQUY. THIS TIME, THE CY WAS NAMED BUDDHA GAYA OR BODH GAYA. EVEN THOUGH IS MALY RENOWNED FOR THE MAHABODHI TEMPLE AND COMPLEX, BODHGAYA IS A SMALL TOURIST TOWN TEEMG WH MONASTERI AND TEMPL BUILT BY NEARLY EVERY BUDDHIST UNTRY TO MARK THEIR PRENCE. MAHABODHI TEMPLE COMPLEX A UNESCO WORLD HERAGE SE, THE MAHABODHI TEMPLE COMPLEX, NSISTS OF THE TEMPLE, BODHI TREE (WHERE BUDDHA ATTAED ENLIGHTENMENT) AND SIX OTHER SACRED SPOTS. AS CUNNIGHAM WROTE ABOUT HIS EXVATNS: ‘BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT DISVERY WAS THE FACT THAT THE PRENT TEMPLE IS BUILT EXACTLY OVER THE REMAS OF ASOKA’S TEMPLE, SO THAT THE ORIGAL VAJRASANA THRONE STILL RETAS S OLD POSN OF THE BUDDHA’S SEAT, AND THE REPUTED CENTRE OF THE UNIVERSE’. THE TEMPLE COMPLEX, SURROUND BY A 11 FOOT HIGH BOUNDARY WALL, IS FIVE METERS BELOW THE LAND AND APPROACHED BY A FLIGHT OF STEPS LEADG DOWN. FURTHER ALONG, A CENTRAL PATH LEADS UP TO THE TEMPLE. MANY BELIEVE THIS WILL BE THE LAST SE TO GO DOWN BEFORE THE STCTN OF THE UNIVERSE AND THE FIRST ONE TO REAPPEAR ON A NEW BEGNG. EPIC MOROCCO FROM ANCIENT CI TO THE SAHARA, EMBRACE CULTURAL RICH AND ENCHANTG LANDSP NORTH AI. VIEW TRIP MAHABODHI TEMPLE, BODHGAYA | © MATT STABILE/FLICKR NEXT TO THE TEMPLE IS THE BODHI TREE, SURROUND BY RAILGS TO AVOID ANY DAMAGE. THE CURRENT BODHI TREE IS A SAPLG OF A TREE OM SRI LANKA, WHICH WAS GROWN OM THE ORIGAL BODHI TREE OF BODH GAYA, ACTUALLY SAID TO BE PLANTED BY CUNNGHAM HIMSELF. BODHITREE, BODHGAYA | © MATT STABILE/FLICKR THE SEVEN SACRED SPOTS THE TEMPLE PLEX, WHERE BUDDHA MEDATED FOR SEVEN WEEKS AFTER HE HAD ATTAED WISDOM, ARE CLEARLY MARKED WH SCRIPTNS, ALONG WH THE LOT POND WHERE BUDDHA MEDATED THE SIXTH WEEK FOLLOWG HIS ENLIGHTENMENT. IT IS SAID THERE WAS A HUGE STORM AND THE SERPENT KG, MUCHALDA, ME OUT AND HELD HIS HOOD OVER BUDDHA TO PROTECT HIM. EVERYWHERE THERE ARE MONKS MEDATG AND PILGRIMS PRAYG AND LIGHTG THE BUTTER LAMPS ACROSS VAR SACRED SPOTS. VISORS N WALK AROUND THE WHOLE TEMPLE PLEX SOAKG THE SACRED VIB OF THE PLACE. BEE A CULTURE TRIPPER! SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER TO SAVE UP TO 40% ON OUR UNIQUE TRIPS. SIGN UP SEE PRIVACY POLICY. MUCHALDA INSCRIPTN, TEMPLE COMPLEX | © MATT STABILE/FLICKR APART OM, S CULTURAL IMPORTANCE, THE MAHABDOHI TEMPLE IS KNOWN FOR S ARCHECTURE. THIS IS ONE OF THE FIRST AND MOST WELL PRERVED TEMPLE STCTUR MA PLETELY WH BRICK. ALTHOUGH EARLY BUDDHIST V AND TEMPL DO EXIST, THIS IS THE MOST IMPOSG OF THEM ALL. TOURIST TIP: EARLY MORNGS AND LATE EVENGS ARE THE BT TIME TO EXPLORE THE SPRAWLG MP, AS WALKG BAREFOOT ON THE MARBLE FLOOR THE INDIAN HEAT N BE A DNTG TASK. CARRY YOUR MERAS ALONG IF YOU WANT PHOTOS, AS PHON ARE STRICTLY NOT ALLOWED. MONASTERI MONASTERI BUILT BY VAR BUDDHIST UNTRI, EACH ONE TRYG TO OUTDO ANOTHER, ARE A GREAT ATTRACTN ALL OVER BODH GAYA. OF THE MANY NOTABL, THE THAI AND BHUTAN MONASTERI ARE A MT VIS. THE THAI MONASTERY, BUILT 1956, IS KNOWN FOR S GOLN BUDDHA STATUE, WHILE THE BHUTANE MONASTERY IS KNOWN FOR S TRITE RVGS. THE TIBETAN MONASTERY IS KNOWN FOR S GIANT PRAYER WHEEL. TOURIST TIP: MOST OF THE MONASTERI CLOSE DURG AFTERNOON HOURS AND ALSO EARLY THE EVENG, SO EARLY MORNG VISS ARE REMEND. THAI MONASTERY, BODHGAYA | © SANGA SHA GRAND BUDDHA STATUE KNOWN AS THE 80 FEET BUDDHA, STG MEDATN ON A LOT, THIS WAS THE LARGT BUDDHA STATUE INDIA WHEN WAS GURATED BY THE CURRENT DALAI LAMA 1989. BUILT OVER A PERD OF SEVEN YEARS WH THE HELP OF 12,000 MASONS AND SUATED NEXT TO THE MAHABODHI TEMPLE COMPLEX, THIS STATUE MAK YOU FEEL LIKE A SPECK SPACE. VIS TO ADMIRE S MEDATIVE SIMPLICY. GREAT BUDDHA STATUE, BODHGAYA | © SANGA SHA ARCHAEOLOGIL SOCIETY OF MM INGURATED 2010 BY THE CURRENT DALAI LAMA, THE MM IS MOST FAMO FOR THE ORIGAL RAILGS WHICH SURROUND THE BODHI TREE, MA OF SANDSTONE AND DATG BACK TO ASHOKA’S EMPIRE. THE MM ALSO HO OTHER ARTIFACTS REVERED DURG THE EXTENSIVE EXVATNS OF THE AREA. BODHGAYA IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT STOPS ON THE BUDDHISM TOURIST CIRCU. HOWEVER, THE NALANDA S (BUDDHIST MAHAVIHARAS AND ONE OF THE OLST ANCIENT UNIVERSI THE WORLD) AND THE XUANXANG MEMORIALS ARE AS IMPORTANT AND MAKE FOR A MEMORABLE DAY TRIP. HIUEN TSANG, BODHGAYA | © SANGA SHA VOLNIC ICELAND EPIC TRIP MEET OUR LOL INSIR HANNA HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A GUIDE? 2 YEARS. WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR JOB? IT'S THE PERSONAL NTACT, THE PERSONAL EXPERIENC. I LOVE MEETG PEOPLE OM ALL OVER THE WORLD... I REALLY LIKE GETTG TO KNOW EVERYONE AND FEELG LIKE I'M TRAVELG WH A GROUP OF IENDS. WHAT DESTINATION IS ON YOUR TRAVEL BUCKET-LIST? I HAVE SO MANY PLAC ON MY LIST, BUT I WOULD REALLY LOBE TO GO TO AI. I NSIR MYSELF AN “ADVENTURE GIRL” AND AI FEELS LIKE THE ULTIMATE ADVENTURE! EVERY CULTURE TRIP SMALL-GROUP ADVENTURE IS LED BY A LOL INSIR JT LIKE HANNA. SEE OUR CULTURE TRIPS KEEN TO EXPLORE THE WORLD?
• 10 FACTS ABOUT BODH GAYA
• BODHI TREE (BODH GAYA) - ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
• GAYA

BODH GAYA

It is suated wt of the Phalgu River, a tributary of the Gang (Ganga) Gaya ntas one of the holit of Buddhist s: the lotn where, unr the sacred pipal, or Bo tree, Gtama Buddha (Prce Siddhartha) attaed enlightenment and beme the Buddha. The Mahabodhi Temple Complex, Bodh Gaya li 115 km south of the state pal of Bihar, Patna and 16 km om the district headquarters at Gaya, Eastern India. The prent Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya pris the 50 m high grand Temple, the Vajrasana, sacred Bodhi Tree and other six sacred s of Buddha's enlightenment, surround by numero ancient Votive stupas, well mataed and protected by ner, middle and outer circular boundari.

Crern (vi): The Mahabodhi Temple Complex Bodh Gaya has direct associatn wh the life of the Lord Buddha, beg the place where He attaed the supreme and perfect sight. AuthenticyThe belief that Buddha had attaed Enlightenment this particular place has been nfirmed by tradn and is now lled Bodh Gaya, this is of supreme value to the world. On the basis of the Bodh Gaya Temple Act of 1949, the State Government is rponsible for the management and protectn of the property through Bodhgaya Temple Management Commtee (BTMC) and Advisory Board.

All velopmental activi wh the premis of this World Herage property and at Bodhgaya are guid by the l and regulatns of the Se Management Plan amed by the Government of Bihar. Proposals will need to be preced by Herage Impact Asssments and a particular challenge will be to ntuoly monor the impact that potential velopments of the area as a whole, cludg the town, may have on the relig and spirual signifince of the Bodhgaya Temple Management Commtee also seeks to unrtake a staable approach to the matenance of the property for example utilizatn of solar energy, pollutn ee environment, etc.

MAHABODHI TEMPLE COMPLEX AT BODH GAYA

This extraordary place—Bodh Gaya—is unrstood to be the se of the enlightenment, or “great awakeng” (Sanskr, mahabodhi), of Siddhartha Gtama, the Buddha. At the heart of ancient Bodh Gaya is the Mahabodhi Temple Complex, which is by wh shr, monuments, and sculpted imag tablished over more than 2, 000 years. Siddhartha Gtama arrived at Bodh Gaya middle age, havg renounced his life as a prce on seeg the “four sights” of agg, sickns, ath, and asceticism.

Buddhist tradns diverge on some of this acunt but this moment and the place at which occurred, unr the Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya, is signifint to all Buddhist tradns. As the place where the Buddha attaed enlightenment, Bodh Gaya appears to have bee a signifint place for Buddhists soon after the ath of the Buddha and the formatn of the Buddhist muny of monks and nuns (Sanskr, sangha) and lay people. Very ltle is known, however, about the earlit stctur at Bodh Gaya, and centuri of addn and alteratn make difficult to image how this se appeared at any particular moment the past.

In some Buddhist tradns Bodh Gaya self is referred to simply as the “Diamond Throne” (Sanskr, vajrasana), ditg the signifince of this throne to the inty of this sacred se.

BODH GAYA: THE SE OF THE BUDDHA’S ENLIGHTENMENT

Bharhut relief wh Diamond throne and Mahabodhi Temple around the Boddhi Tree (om Sir Alexanr Cunngham, Mahâbodhi, or the great Buddhist temple unr the Bodhi tree at Buddha-Gaya, 1892). This broadly agre wh the scriptn of Mahabodhi Temple given by the Che pilgrim Xuanzang who vised Bodh Gaya centuri later, at the end of the 7th century C.

Depictns of the Mahabodhi Temple also suggt the creasg importance of the temple hog the Buddha image s own right as a sign for Bodh Gaya and the events there, although the Diamond Throne and the Bodhi tree ntue to be picted alongsi them. ” The scriptns, the pictns of the Mahabodhi Temple art, and other evince for royal and foreign-sponsored programs of rtoratn suggt an important shift om tree shre to the buildg of templ, shr, and monasteri at Bodh Gaya over the urse of the 1st lennium C.

The towerg brick, stuc and ncrete temple seen at Bodh Gaya today pris a large primary straight-sid spire (Sanskr, shikhara), risg out of a central image chamber (Sanskr, garbha-griha). It is likely that some of the replis were built om the rellectns of pilgrims, if not on even small portable artworks and “mols” rried away om Bodh Gaya such as that shown mol of the temple at The Metropolan Mm of Art. This replitn of Bodh Gaya the medieval and early morn perd Asia fds an earlier precent the acunt given the Sri Lankan chronicle (mahavamsa) which rerds how a branch of the Bodhi tree was brought to Sri Lanka and planted the cy of Anuradhapura the time of Kg Ashoka, where s scendant grows to this day.

THGS TO DO BODH GAYA, INDIA - BODH GAYA ATTRACTNSTHGS TO DO BODH GAYA

Internatnal tert Bodh Gaya creased om the 1880s onwards, particularly after the Archaeologil Survey of India rtored and landsped much of the Mahabodhi Temple Complex. It is also important to note that Bodh Gaya neighbors the major Hdu pilgrimage town of Gaya: an ancient sacred center associated wh anctor r (Sanskr, shraddha).

Relatnships at Bodh Gaya beme straed the late 19th and early 20th century, and the ownership and thory of the Mahabodhi Temple particular beme ntted. It was ially orr to “reclaim Bodh Gaya for Buddhists” that the Sri Lankan-born Buddhist revivalist Anagarika Dharmapala tablished the Maha Bodhi Society Colombo, Sri Lanka, 1891. After a lengthy legal battle, the qutn of ownership of the Mahabodhi Temple Complex was partially rolved 1949 after the Indian Government assumed ntrol of the se for the State of Bihar and tablished the Bodh Gaya Temple Management Commtee (BTMC), which was posed of both Hdu and Buddhist members.

BODHI TREE, BODH GAYA

While s new stat as “World Herage” brought ternatnal attentn and renown to Bodh Gaya, has also ed some ncern that the spirual and votnal character of Bodh Gaya will be altered and even that Bodh Gaya will be “mmized”—s built remas beg prerved at the expense of the range of sacred, votnal, and archectural practic that have characterized the place for more than 2, 000 years. The Bodhi tree, the railg, and the Diamond Throne rema at Bodh Gaya alongsi the towerg temple, the Buddha image, the Shaiva Mahant’s rince and — a hotel and a mm.

Book the experienc for a close-up look at Bodh quick jnts to full-day Attractns Bodh GayaArchectural Buildgs • Relig SPots of Intert & LandmarksRelig S • Edutnal s*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s bookg data and rmatn om the provir om the past 30 days, seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor pany. Sandy_JSRJamshedpur, India1, 553 ntributnsChe Temple Bodh Gaya is a notable Buddhist monastery Bodh Gaya and suated near to the Mahabodhi Temple. Sandy_JSRJamshedpur, India1, 553 ntributnsDungwari hill, also known as Mahakala v, are suated around 20 km away om Bodh Gaya, needs hired vehicle for vis.

Buddhist Monks at Bodhi Tree (The se of Buddha's enlightenment) Bodh Gaya, loted 100 km (62 mi) south of Patna the Indian state of Bihar, is the most venerated sacred place Buddhism. Siddhartha then journeyed toward the ancient sacred forts of Uvela (morn Gaya Bihar, north India) wh the tentn of fally and pletely realizg the fe.

BODH GAYA: A MT VIS DTATN FOR EVERY TRAVELER

In approximately 250 BC, about 250 years after the Buddha attaed enlightenment, Emperor Ashoka vised Bodh Gaya and tablished a monastery and temple there. The origal tree at Bodh Gaya was stroyed by Kg Ppyamra durg his persecutn of Buddhism the 2nd century BC and the tree planted to replace , probably an offsprg, was stroyed by Kg Sassanka at the begng of the 7th century AD.

BODH GAYA: THE CY OF ENLIGHTENMENT BODH GAYA BEFORE 1899, BIHAR | © BOURNE & SHEPHERD, CALCUTTA/WIKICOMMONS SANGA SHA 03 JANUARY 2017 COPY LK FACEBOOK EMAIL TWTER PTERT SUATED BY THE BANK OF RIVER NERANJANA, THE INDIAN STATE OF BIHAR, LI THE SMALL TOWN OF BODH GAYA. BODH GAYA, OR BUDDHA-GAYA AS WAS POPULARLY LLED THE 19TH CENTURY, IS A SACRED PLACE FOR BUDDHISTS ALL OVER THE WORLD, AS THIS IS WHERE PRCE SIDDHARTHA BEME BUDDHA, THE ENLIGHTENED ONE. OF THE FOUR FAMO PILGRIMAGE S – THE OTHER THREE BEG LUMBI, WHERE SIDDHARTHA WAS BORN, KINAGAR, WHERE HE ENTERED NIRVANA AND SARNATH, WHERE HE HAD HIS FIRST SERMON — BODH GAYA IS THE MOST VISED ONE. BODH GAYA IS AS IMPORTANT TO BUDDHISM AS JESALEM AND MEC ARE TO THE OTHER GREAT RELIGNS OF THE WORLD. BUDDHISM HAS TRANSFORMED THE LIV OF LNS OF PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD, PECIALLY SOUTH EAST ASIA, CENTRAL ASIA, CHA, TIBET, KOREA AND JAPAN. IT IS THE FOURTH MOST FOLLOWED RELIGNS THE WORLD AND HAS AROUND 495 LN BELIEVERS, NSTUTG 7- 8% OF THE WORLD’S POPULATN AS OF 2010. VIEW ALL TRIPS HISTORY KNOWN AS UVILVA, AFTER BUDDHA’S ENLIGHTENMENT THE SE HAS BEEN KNOWN BY VAR NAM BASED ON THIS HISTORIC EVENT. WH TWO CENTURI OF THE ENLIGHTENMENT, THE NAME UVELA WAS REPLACED BY NEW ON LIKE SAMBODHI (MEANG ‘COMPLETE ENLIGHTENMENT’), BODHIMANDA (‘AWAKENG POSN’), VAJRASANA (MEANG ‘DIAMOND THRONE’) AND MAHABODHI (MEANG ‘GREAT ENLIGHTENMENT’). THE CY WAS NAMED SAMBODHI WHEN THE EMPEROR ASOKA MA A PILGRIMAGE TO THE SE THE YEAR 260 BC, THE 10TH YEAR OF HIS REIGN. HE CID TO BUILD A TEMPLE STCTURE TO MEMORATE BUDDHA’S ENLIGHTENMENT. THE FIRST TEMPLE STCTURE WAS AN OPEN PAVILN SUPPORTED ON PILLARS AND THE MIDDLE WAS THE VAJRASANA THRONE, THE ORIGAL SPOT UPON WHICH THE BUDDHA IS BELIEVED TO HAVE SAT AND MEDATED. OVER THE YEARS, THE TEMPLE WAS RENOVATED MANY TIM AND THE CURRENT STCTURE DAT TO THE GUPTA PERD THE 6TH CENTURY AD. HIN TSANG, THE CHE TRAVELER, IS SAID TO HAVE VISED THE CY THE 7TH CENTURY AND RERD THE EXISTENCE OF THE TEMPLE. TAKE A SP TO FD YOUR PERFECT SMALL-GROUP TRIP STATN PASSPORTS READY? YOUR NEXT STATN IS... VIEW TRIP SP SPA CROATIA ECUADOR GREECE ICELAND JAPAN EGYPT MEXI SOUTH AI MOROC THAILAND INDIA TURKEY BALI SAMBODHI DWAAR, BODHGAYA | © SANGA SHA HOWEVER, BY THE 13TH CENTURY, BUDDHISM BEGAN TO CLE, TERT THE CY WANED, AND THE TEMPLE WAS LOST THE S. IN THE LATE 19TH-CENTURY, BODH GAYA WAS REDISVERED DUE TO LARGE SLE EXVATNS AND RENSTCTNS RRIED OUT BY ALEXANR CUNNGHAM, A RETIRED BRISH ARMY ENGEER WH AN TERT ARCHAEOLOGY AND ANTIQUY. THIS TIME, THE CY WAS NAMED BUDDHA GAYA OR BODH GAYA. EVEN THOUGH IS MALY RENOWNED FOR THE MAHABODHI TEMPLE AND COMPLEX, BODHGAYA IS A SMALL TOURIST TOWN TEEMG WH MONASTERI AND TEMPL BUILT BY NEARLY EVERY BUDDHIST UNTRY TO MARK THEIR PRENCE. MAHABODHI TEMPLE COMPLEX A UNESCO WORLD HERAGE SE, THE MAHABODHI TEMPLE COMPLEX, NSISTS OF THE TEMPLE, BODHI TREE (WHERE BUDDHA ATTAED ENLIGHTENMENT) AND SIX OTHER SACRED SPOTS. AS CUNNIGHAM WROTE ABOUT HIS EXVATNS: ‘BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT DISVERY WAS THE FACT THAT THE PRENT TEMPLE IS BUILT EXACTLY OVER THE REMAS OF ASOKA’S TEMPLE, SO THAT THE ORIGAL VAJRASANA THRONE STILL RETAS S OLD POSN OF THE BUDDHA’S SEAT, AND THE REPUTED CENTRE OF THE UNIVERSE’. THE TEMPLE COMPLEX, SURROUND BY A 11 FOOT HIGH BOUNDARY WALL, IS FIVE METERS BELOW THE LAND AND APPROACHED BY A FLIGHT OF STEPS LEADG DOWN. FURTHER ALONG, A CENTRAL PATH LEADS UP TO THE TEMPLE. MANY BELIEVE THIS WILL BE THE LAST SE TO GO DOWN BEFORE THE STCTN OF THE UNIVERSE AND THE FIRST ONE TO REAPPEAR ON A NEW BEGNG. EPIC MOROCCO FROM ANCIENT CI TO THE SAHARA, EMBRACE CULTURAL RICH AND ENCHANTG LANDSP NORTH AI. VIEW TRIP MAHABODHI TEMPLE, BODHGAYA | © MATT STABILE/FLICKR NEXT TO THE TEMPLE IS THE BODHI TREE, SURROUND BY RAILGS TO AVOID ANY DAMAGE. THE CURRENT BODHI TREE IS A SAPLG OF A TREE OM SRI LANKA, WHICH WAS GROWN OM THE ORIGAL BODHI TREE OF BODH GAYA, ACTUALLY SAID TO BE PLANTED BY CUNNGHAM HIMSELF. BODHITREE, BODHGAYA | © MATT STABILE/FLICKR THE SEVEN SACRED SPOTS THE TEMPLE PLEX, WHERE BUDDHA MEDATED FOR SEVEN WEEKS AFTER HE HAD ATTAED WISDOM, ARE CLEARLY MARKED WH SCRIPTNS, ALONG WH THE LOT POND WHERE BUDDHA MEDATED THE SIXTH WEEK FOLLOWG HIS ENLIGHTENMENT. IT IS SAID THERE WAS A HUGE STORM AND THE SERPENT KG, MUCHALDA, ME OUT AND HELD HIS HOOD OVER BUDDHA TO PROTECT HIM. EVERYWHERE THERE ARE MONKS MEDATG AND PILGRIMS PRAYG AND LIGHTG THE BUTTER LAMPS ACROSS VAR SACRED SPOTS. VISORS N WALK AROUND THE WHOLE TEMPLE PLEX SOAKG THE SACRED VIB OF THE PLACE. BEE A CULTURE TRIPPER! SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER TO SAVE UP TO 40% ON OUR UNIQUE TRIPS. SIGN UP SEE PRIVACY POLICY. MUCHALDA INSCRIPTN, TEMPLE COMPLEX | © MATT STABILE/FLICKR APART OM, S CULTURAL IMPORTANCE, THE MAHABDOHI TEMPLE IS KNOWN FOR S ARCHECTURE. THIS IS ONE OF THE FIRST AND MOST WELL PRERVED TEMPLE STCTUR MA PLETELY WH BRICK. ALTHOUGH EARLY BUDDHIST V AND TEMPL DO EXIST, THIS IS THE MOST IMPOSG OF THEM ALL. TOURIST TIP: EARLY MORNGS AND LATE EVENGS ARE THE BT TIME TO EXPLORE THE SPRAWLG MP, AS WALKG BAREFOOT ON THE MARBLE FLOOR THE INDIAN HEAT N BE A DNTG TASK. CARRY YOUR MERAS ALONG IF YOU WANT PHOTOS, AS PHON ARE STRICTLY NOT ALLOWED. MONASTERI MONASTERI BUILT BY VAR BUDDHIST UNTRI, EACH ONE TRYG TO OUTDO ANOTHER, ARE A GREAT ATTRACTN ALL OVER BODH GAYA. OF THE MANY NOTABL, THE THAI AND BHUTAN MONASTERI ARE A MT VIS. THE THAI MONASTERY, BUILT 1956, IS KNOWN FOR S GOLN BUDDHA STATUE, WHILE THE BHUTANE MONASTERY IS KNOWN FOR S TRITE RVGS. THE TIBETAN MONASTERY IS KNOWN FOR S GIANT PRAYER WHEEL. TOURIST TIP: MOST OF THE MONASTERI CLOSE DURG AFTERNOON HOURS AND ALSO EARLY THE EVENG, SO EARLY MORNG VISS ARE REMEND. THAI MONASTERY, BODHGAYA | © SANGA SHA GRAND BUDDHA STATUE KNOWN AS THE 80 FEET BUDDHA, STG MEDATN ON A LOT, THIS WAS THE LARGT BUDDHA STATUE INDIA WHEN WAS GURATED BY THE CURRENT DALAI LAMA 1989. BUILT OVER A PERD OF SEVEN YEARS WH THE HELP OF 12,000 MASONS AND SUATED NEXT TO THE MAHABODHI TEMPLE COMPLEX, THIS STATUE MAK YOU FEEL LIKE A SPECK SPACE. VIS TO ADMIRE S MEDATIVE SIMPLICY. GREAT BUDDHA STATUE, BODHGAYA | © SANGA SHA ARCHAEOLOGIL SOCIETY OF MM INGURATED 2010 BY THE CURRENT DALAI LAMA, THE MM IS MOST FAMO FOR THE ORIGAL RAILGS WHICH SURROUND THE BODHI TREE, MA OF SANDSTONE AND DATG BACK TO ASHOKA’S EMPIRE. THE MM ALSO HO OTHER ARTIFACTS REVERED DURG THE EXTENSIVE EXVATNS OF THE AREA. BODHGAYA IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT STOPS ON THE BUDDHISM TOURIST CIRCU. HOWEVER, THE NALANDA S (BUDDHIST MAHAVIHARAS AND ONE OF THE OLST ANCIENT UNIVERSI THE WORLD) AND THE XUANXANG MEMORIALS ARE AS IMPORTANT AND MAKE FOR A MEMORABLE DAY TRIP. HIUEN TSANG, BODHGAYA | © SANGA SHA VOLNIC ICELAND EPIC TRIP MEET OUR LOL INSIR HANNA HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A GUIDE? 2 YEARS. WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR JOB? IT'S THE PERSONAL NTACT, THE PERSONAL EXPERIENC. I LOVE MEETG PEOPLE OM ALL OVER THE WORLD... I REALLY LIKE GETTG TO KNOW EVERYONE AND FEELG LIKE I'M TRAVELG WH A GROUP OF IENDS. WHAT DESTINATION IS ON YOUR TRAVEL BUCKET-LIST? I HAVE SO MANY PLAC ON MY LIST, BUT I WOULD REALLY LOBE TO GO TO AI. I NSIR MYSELF AN “ADVENTURE GIRL” AND AI FEELS LIKE THE ULTIMATE ADVENTURE! EVERY CULTURE TRIP SMALL-GROUP ADVENTURE IS LED BY A LOL INSIR JT LIKE HANNA. SEE OUR CULTURE TRIPS KEEN TO EXPLORE THE WORLD?

The historil and archaeologil rerd at this sacred Buddhist center stretch back to at least the 3rd century the heart of ancient Bodh Gaya is the Mahabodhi Temple Complex, which is by wh shr, monuments, and sculpted imag tablished over more than 2, 000 years. Three of the most important monuments will be discsed this say:The Bodhi treeThe Vajrasana, or “Diamond Throne”The Mahabodhi TempleThe Buddha’s Great AwakengSiddhartha Gtama arrived at Bodh Gaya middle age, havg renounced his life as a prce on seeg the “four sights” of agg, sickns, ath, and. Buddhist tradns diverge on some of this acunt but this moment and the place at which occurred, unr the Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya, is signifint to all Buddhist Bodhi TreeAs the place where the Buddha attaed enlightenment, Bodh Gaya appears to have bee a signifint place for Buddhists soon after the ath of the Buddha and the formatn of the Buddhist muny of monks and nuns (Sanskr, sangha) and lay people.

Very ltle is known, however, about the earlit stctur at Bodh Gaya, and centuri of addn and alteratn make difficult to image how this se appeared at any particular moment the pictns of Bodh Gaya art datg om the 2nd century B. The throne and the tree has remaed an important sign for the Buddha and the moment of enlightenment throughout the history of Buddhist art, as n be seen the early relief of the Bodhi tree wh a shre (at the top of this page) and the mon image of the Buddha llg on the earth to Mahabodhi TempleThe acunts of Che pilgrims who vised Bodh Gaya om at least the 5th century C.

The temple picted this plaque also ho an image of the broadly agre wh the scriptn of Mahabodhi Temple given by the Che pilgrim Xuanzang who vised Bodh Gaya centuri later, at the end of the 7th century C. Depictns of the Mahabodhi Temple also suggt the creasg importance of the temple hog the Buddha image s own right as a sign for Bodh Gaya and the events there, although the Diamond Throne and the Bodhi tree ntue to be picted alongsi is around this time too that scriptns beg to refer to the Mahabodhi Temple as the “vajrasana-gandhakuti, ” lerally the “perfume chamber (i.

10 FACTS ABOUT BODH GAYA

The surface of the temple is studd wh recedg levels of Buddha imag set to nich alternatg wh circular “w’s eye wdows, ” not unlike the acunts of Che pilgrims and early pictns of this buildg late 19th-century rtoratn of the Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya ma signifint alteratns to the se, however. This perd of rtoratn and partial exvatn of the plex also brought to light the many small “votive” (pertag to a wish) shr and imag which had steadily built up around the temple over Mahabodhis: replitn of Bodh GayaAn important feature of Bodh Gaya and the Mahabodhi Temple Complex is s replitn across Asia. What might be lled “repli” Mahabodhi templ were built across Asia om the 13th century onwards: the Mahabodhi Phaya Myanmar, Wat Chet Yot Thailand, Wuta Si Cha, and the Mahabuddha Temple Nepal are important of the stctur imate the form of the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya, though they vary style, buildg technology, and materials.

How and why the many Mahabodhi Temple were built, however, remas unclear; likely each of the buildgs was built for a specific purpose each ntext but all of them n be unrstood to, a sense, transfer the Buddhist “holy land” replitn of Bodh Gaya the medieval and early morn perd Asia fds an earlier precent the acunt given the Sri Lankan chronicle (mahavamsa) which rerds how a branch of the Bodhi tree was brought to Sri Lanka and planted the cy of Anuradhapura the time of Kg Ashoka, where s scendant grows to this day. [5]Bodh Gaya TodayInternatnal tert Bodh Gaya creased om the 1880s onwards, particularly after the Archaeologil Survey of India rtored and landsped much of the Mahabodhi Temple Complex. Today at least forty different Buddhist anizatns are reprented Bodh Gaya—a town wh a mostly Hdu and Mlim of the sculptur found at Bodh Gaya—cludg those ed worship today—date to the time of the Pala dynasty (8th–12th century C.

BODHI TREE (BODH GAYA) - ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

It is also important to note that Bodh Gaya neighbors the major Hdu pilgrimage town of Gaya: an ancient sacred center associated wh anctor r (Sanskr, shraddha) a major Shaiva (pertag to the Hdu god Shiva) monastery was tablished jt north of the Mahabodhi Temple Complex the 18th century C. After a lengthy legal battle, the qutn of ownership of the Mahabodhi Temple Complex was partially rolved 1949 after the Indian Government assumed ntrol of the se for the State of Bihar and tablished the Bodh Gaya Temple Management Commtee (BTMC), which was posed of both Hdu and Buddhist the Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya add to the UNESCO World Herage List 2002, rponsibily for this place shifted once aga. While s new stat as “World Herage” brought ternatnal attentn and renown to Bodh Gaya, has also ed some ncern that the spirual and votnal character of Bodh Gaya will be altered and even that Bodh Gaya will be “mmized”—s built remas beg prerved at the expense of the range of sacred, votnal, and archectural practic that have characterized the place for more than 2, 000 Timels Seat of the BuddhaBodh Gaya has a long and plex history.

The Bodhi tree, the railg, and the Diamond Throne rema at Bodh Gaya alongsi the towerg temple, the Buddha image, the Shaiva Mahant’s rince and — a hotel and a the life of the Buddha see, Patrick Olivelle, Life of the Buddha, Clay Sanskr Library; 33 (New York Universy Prs, 2008); and The Play Full, translated by the Dharmachakra Translatn Commtee unr the patronage and supervisn of 84000: Translatg the Words of the Buddha, John S. Si-yu-ki: Buddhist Rerds of the Wtern World (London, 1884; reprted Delhi, 1981), 118– Vidya Dehejia, “Bodh Gaya and Sri Lanka” Janice Leoshko, Bodhgaya, the Se of Enlightenment. Sayers and Abhishek Sgh Amar, Cross-disciplary Perspectiv on a Contted Buddhist Se (Routledge, 2012) Leoshko, Bodhgaya, the Se of Enlightenment (Marg Publitns, 1988).

You n also fly to Patna Airport (110 kilometers away) and then take a tra or taxi to Bodh Gaya, as Patna has many daily direct flights to Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai.

GAYA

Calcutta to Delhi tra travel tak about 8 hours; Delhi to Calcutta rail travel tak approximately 15 hours (2nd class air-n sts 1600 pe; book upstairs at the Gaya statn then pay downstairs at wdow 29). Bee Patna has many daily direct flights to Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Lucknow, and Hyrabad, one n fly to Patna Airport (110 km distant) and then take a tra or taxi to Bodh Gaya.