Mahaboddhi Temple - Land Of Enlightenment

Sanctum Sanctorum

Mahaboddhi Temple as it stood before July 2013. After the bomb blasts in the compound, the government of Burma planted a gold cap by donating 289 LHS of Gold as is seen below.

Entry to the Mahaboddhi Temple

The whole complex is decorated with fresh flowers all around mainly by foreigners. The kind of peace and tranquility found can be felt only visiting this place. Harvinder and I were flabbergasted by the serene environment here.

Bodh Gaya is the most holy place on Earth for the followers of the Buddhist faith all over the world. Situated by the bank of river Niranjana   the place was then known as Uruwela. King Ashoka was the first to build a temple here.

 This Buddha statue  in a  Vajrasna mode originally installed by Emperor Ashok is made of polished sandstone and is freshly gold plated every year on Budh Purnima day. 

Buddha was born 563 BC in Nepal on the following auspicious Baisakhi purnima. As Siddhartha, he renounced his family at the age of 29 his gaining enlightenment in 534 BC and travelled and meditated in search of truth. After meditating for six years at Urubela (Buddhagaya) in Gaya, he attained Buddhatva or enlightenment. Enlightenment is a state of having infinite knowledge, and being able to accomplish the Noble and Universal truths. By gaining enlightenment, you enter Nibbana, in which the final stage is Parinibbana.

The complex, located about 110 kilometres from Patna, contains the Mahabodhi Temple  with the diamond throne (called the Vajrasana) and the holy Bodhi Tree. 

Holy Bodhi Tree

Under the Holy Boddhi Tree, Harvinder and me stand on the southern side of the auspicious Tree. Prince Sidhartha attained enlightenment by meditating on east side of the space between temple and holy tree above facing East side.

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.

Foreign devotees engrossed in deep meditation gave us an opportunity to sit along with them and meditate. All of us faced East Side towards the Holy tree and the Temple. We looked odd wearing colored clothes though, as most of the foreign monks and devotees had full or orange color clothes.

The dismantled Ashoka Pillar

The lotus pond recently upgraded by Thai devotees in 1984.

It is believed that 250 years after the Enlightenment of the Buddha, Emperor Ashoka 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 moldings 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.

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The temple was later restored by Sir Alexander Cunningham 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. It has a height of 55 metres which can be viewed from a distance of 11 KM

A view of Mahaboddhi Temple from the entry point. Harvinder in a state of bewilderment.

Getting involved, in meditation with Buddha devotees, was an experience which will remain within us for a very long time. After meditation, certainly our minds became purified of defilement, calm, tranquil and luminous in the same way as we feel after doing 'Simran' while worshipping Sikh way of life. We got thrilled with similar strong and powerful vibrations for achieving high level of insight.

It was worth millions dollar trip to such a pious and holy place of Enlightenment. We continue to feel blessed.