^Constituents of Bodh Gaya Plannina area are Bodh GayaNagar Panchayat, 32 villages in Bodh GayaCD block and 3 villages inGaya CD block of Gaya district.[1]
For Buddhists, Bodh Gayā is the most important of the four main pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha,[5] the other three beingKushinagar,Lumbini, andSarnath. In 2002, Mahabodhi Temple, located in Bodh Gayā, became aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site.[6]
TheBodhi Tree under whichGautama Buddha is said to have obtainedEnlightenment.The Hindu Jagannath temple, located 25 feet (7.6 m) away from theMahabodhi Temple.A Budhhist sculpture from a minor temple complex in Bodh Gayā.
Bodh Gayā is considered the holiest site in Buddhism.[7] Known as Uruvela in the Buddha's time, it is by the bank of theLilajan River. The first temple at the site was built byMauryaEmperorAshoka.[8]
Traditionally, it is believed that the Buddha was born in 563 BCE on the next Baisakhi purnima (second full moon in calendar years that do not themselves start during full moon) in Lumbini, Nepal. As Siddhartha, he renounced his family at the age of 29 in 534 BCE,[9][10] and travelled and meditated in search of truth. After practicing self-mortification for six years at Urubela (Buddhagaya) in Gaya, he gave up that practice because it did not give him liberation. Then he discovered theNoble Eightfold Path of his own and practiced it, finally reaching enlightenment: complete freedom from lust (raga), hatred (dvesha), and delusion (moha).
Mountain of Ashrams, Vindhya range Bodh Gayā
At this point, the Buddha was abandoned by the five men who had been his companions in his earlier austerities, as all they saw was an ordinary man; mocking his well-nourished appearance, they said, "Here comes the mendicant Gautama, who has turned away from asceticism. He is certainly not worth our respect." When they reminded him of his former vows, the Buddha replied, "Austerities only confuse the mind. In the exhaustion and mental stupor to which they lead, one can no longer understand the ordinary things of life, still less the truth that lies beyond the senses. I have given up extremes of either luxury or asceticism. I have discovered the Middle Way." This is explained as the path that is neither easy (his former life as a rich prince) nor hard (living in austere conditions, practicing self-denial). Hearing this, the five ascetics became the Buddha's first disciples in Deer Park,Sarnath, 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) northeast ofVaranasi.[citation needed]
Gautama's disciples began to visit the place during the full moon in the month ofVaisakh (April–May), as per theHindu calendar. Over time, the place became known as Bodh Gayā, the day of enlightenment asBuddha Purnima, and the tree as the Bodhi Tree.
Bodh Gayā's history is documented by many inscriptions and pilgrimage accounts. Foremost among these are the accounts of the Chinese pilgrimsFaxian in the 5th century andXuanzang in the 7th century. The area was at the heart of a Buddhist civilization for centuries, until it wasconquered by Turkic armies in the 13th century.
The placename Bodh Gayā came into use in the 18th century CE. Historically, it was known as Uruvela, Sambodhi (, Saṃ +bodhi, meaning 'Complete Enlightenment' in Ashoka'sMajor Rock Edict No.8),[11] Vajrasana (the 'Diamond Throne' of the Buddha), or Mahabodhi ('Great Enlightenment').[12] Bodh Gayā's main monastery used to be called the Bodhimanda-vihāra (Pali); it is now known as theMahabodhi Temple.
From the 11th to 13th centuries, Bodh Gayā was under the control of local chieftains known as thePithipatis of Bodh Gaya, who were responsible for managing the region. One of their rulers, Acarya Buddhasena, has been recorded as making a grant to Sri Lankan monks near the Mahabodhi temple.[13] During the 12th century,MuslimTurk armies led byDelhi Sultanate'sQutb al-Din Aibak andBakhtiyar Khilji invaded and destroyed Bodh Gayā and nearby regions.[14]
In approximately 250 BCE, about 200 years after the Buddha attained Enlightenment, EmperorAsoka visited Bodh Gayā to establish a monastery and shrine there.[6]
Representations of this early temple are found atSanchi, on the toraṇas of Stūpa I, dating from around 25 BCE, and on a relief carving from the stupa railing atBhārhut, from the earlyShunga period (c. 185 – c. 73 BCE).[16]
Kittisirimegha ofSri Lanka, a contemporary ofSamudragupta, erected with his permission aSanghārāma near the Mahabodhi Temple, chiefly for the use of the Singhalese monks who went to worship the Bodhi tree. The circumstances in connection with the Sanghārāma are given byXuanzang,[17][full citation needed] who describes it as he saw it. It was probably here thatBuddhaghosa met the Elder Revata, who persuaded him to come to Ceylon.
Several Buddhist temples and monasteries have been built by the people ofTibet,Mongolia,Nepal,Japan,Korea,Cambodia,Laos,Myanmar,Vietnam,Sikkim,Sri Lanka,Taiwan,Thailand,Bhutan, andChina in a wide area around the Mahabodhi Temple. These buildings reflect their respective countries' architectural and decorative styles. The statue of the Buddha in the Chinese temple is 200 years old, and was brought from China. Japan's Nippon temple is shaped like apagoda. The Myanmar (Burmese) temple is also pagoda-shaped and is reminiscent ofBagan. The Thai temple has a sloping, curved roof covered with golden tiles and contains a massive bronze statue of the Buddha. Next to the Thai temple is a 25-metre (82 ft) statue of the Buddha within a garden that has existed for over 100 years.[citation needed]
The Sujata Temple, in Sujata Village in Bakrour, is a significant historical and religious site associated with the life of Siddhartha Gautama, who later became the Buddha. This temple commemorates the pivotal moment when Sujata, a village woman, offered Siddhartha a bowl of rice milk, providing him with nourishment after years of severe asceticism. This is said to have given Siddhartha the strength to pursue the Middle Path, ultimately leading to his enlightenment. The temple stands near the banks of the Niranjana River, symbolizing the site where this transformative event took place. The architecturally modest Sujata Temple attracts pilgrims and tourists. The surrounding village and the serene landscape add to the temple's spiritual ambiance, making it a place of contemplation and homage.
An 80-foot (24 m) statue of the Buddha, known as The Great Buddha Statue, is in Bodh Gayā. It was unveiled and consecrated on 18 November 1989. The consecration ceremony was attended by the 14th Dalai Lama, who blessed the statue, the first great Buddha ever built in the history of India. Under the slogan "Spread Buddha's rays to the Whole World", Daijokyo[clarification needed] spent seven years constructing the statue, mobilizing 120,000 masons.
Illustration of the temple built byAsoka at Bodh Gayā around the Bodhi tree. Sculpture of theSatavahana period atSanchi, 1st century CE.
On 7 July 2013, at around 5:15a.m., there was a low-intensitybomb blast in the Mahabodhi Temple complex. This was followed by a series of nine low-intensity blasts that injured two monks, one Tibetan and one Burmese. These blasts were carried out by the Islamist terrorist organizationIndian Mujahideen.[22][23] Police defused two other bombs, one under the Buddha statue and one near Karmapa Temple.[24][25]
At the2001 census,[27] 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%. 8% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Bodhgaya has restricted the use ofauto rickshaws, cars, and buses to make the site more peaceful. A permit is required to use cars or buses, and the only taxi available is anelectric rickshaw that is mostly noiseless.
^Gopal, Madan (1991). K.S. Gautam (ed.).India through the ages. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 176.
^Kinnard, Jacob. "When Is The Buddha Not the Buddha? The Hindu/Buddhist Battle over Bodhgayā and Its Buddha Image".Journal of the American Academy of Religion: 817.ISSN0002-7189.
^Fogelin, Lars (2015).An Archaeological History of Indian Buddhism. Oxford University Press. p. 195.ISBN9780199948239.
Kinnard, Jacob N. (1998). When Is The Buddha Not the Buddha? The Hindu/Buddhist Battle over Bodhgayā and Its Buddha Image. Journal of the American Academy of Religion 66 (4), 817–839
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