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Mahabodhi Temple

Living templeBuddhist pyramidal (Mahabodhi type)Four principal Buddhist pilgrimage sitesUNESCO World Heritage Site (part of)ASI Monument of National Importance

The temple marks the place where Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, the holiest site in Buddhism. Its present 55 m brick tower dates from the Gupta period, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

HistoryDocumented history

Bodh Gaya was visited by the Chinese pilgrims Faxian and Xuanzang, who described the temple. After centuries of decline, its restoration began a modern Buddhist revival in India. The management question is still debated by Buddhist groups who seek full control.

Sthala PuranaTradition

Siddhartha, after six years of extreme austerity, sat under the pipal tree and vowed not to rise until enlightened. Mara, the tempter, attacked him with armies and desire; Siddhartha touched the earth to bear witness to his merit, and on the full moon of Vaishakha he awoke as the Buddha.

Aitihyas and storiesTradition and folklore

The present Bodhi tree descends from the tree at Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka, which grew from a cutting taken there by Ashoka's daughter Sanghamitta. The Buddha spent seven weeks at seven spots in the complex after his awakening.

PhilosophyInterpretation

The Four Noble Truths and the Middle Way between indulgence and austerity began here. Awakening is shown as something any person can achieve through insight, not a gift of a god.

Meaning todayInterpretation

Bodh Gaya is a global meeting point of Buddhist traditions from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tibet, Japan and beyond. Its joint management raises questions about shared sacred sites.

Timeline

  1. 3rd c. BCEfoundeddocumented
    Ashoka (Maurya)
    Built a shrine and the Vajrasana (diamond throne) at the Bodhi tree.
  2. 450–600constructedprobable
    Present brick temple built in the Gupta period.
  3. 13th c. onwardsabandoneddocumented
    Buddhist worship declined after Turkic raids and the fall of the Palas; the site came under a Shaiva mahant from the late 16th c.
  4. 1880–1884renovateddocumented
    Alexander Cunningham, J. D. Beglar (British India)
    Restoration of the ruined temple.
  5. 1891–1949reclaimeddocumented
    Anagarika Dharmapala and the Maha Bodhi Society
    A campaign for Buddhist control led to the 1949 Act, which created a joint Hindu-Buddhist committee.
  6. 2002listeddocumented
    UNESCO
    Mahabodhi Temple Complex inscribed.

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Sources

  1. Wikipedia: Mahabodhi Templetertiary
  2. UNESCO World Heritage List no. 1056official

This entry is a draft. Traditional stories are presented as tradition, not as historical fact.