Bodh Gaya or
Bodhgaya () is a city in
Gaya district in the
Indian
state of
Bihar. It is famous for being the place of
Gautama Buddha's attainment of
nirvana (
Enlightenment).
Historically, it was known as the
Bodhimanda (ground around the Bodhi-tree), Uruvela, Sambodhi, Vajrasana and Mahabodhi. The name Bodh Gaya did not come into use until the 18th century. The main monastery of Bodhgaya 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.
The surrounding town, by contrast, is dusty, noisy and somewhat polluted, due in large part to the large numbers of pilgrims and tourists who visit there. 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.
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
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 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 where he had gained enlightenment 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 Turkish armies in the 13th century.
Mahabodhi Temple
The complex, located about 96 kilometres from
Patna, at ,
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 as part of his work for the
British Archaeological Society in the late 19th century. 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.
Presently, several Buddhist temples and monasteries have been built by the people of
Bhutan,
China,
Japan,
Myanmar,
Nepal,
Sikkim,
Sri Lanka,
Thailand,
Tibet and
Vietnam in a wide area around the 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 and spectacular bronze statue of Buddha. Next to the Thai temple there is a recent 25 meter statue of Buddha located within a garden which has existed there for over 100 years. For Tibetan buddhism there are two temples.
Demographics
India
census, 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.
Airport
5 kilometres from Bodhgaya is the
Gaya Airport, also known as Bodhgaya Airport.
