buddhist history notes

1. MOOC Course for SWAYAM Platform (www.swayam.gov.in)
Module-4
Bodhgayā
Component-I (A)-Personal Details
Chief Coordinator Ven. Prof. (Dr.)
Wangchuk Dorjee Negi
Vice-Chancellor, Central
University of Tibetan Studies,
Sarnath (Varanasi)
Course Coordinator Dr. Shrikant Ganvir Assistant Professor, Dept. of
Ancient Indian History,
Culture and Archaeology,
Deccan College Post-
Graduate and Research
Institute (Deemed to be
University), Pune.
Content Writer Prof. K.T.S. Sarao Pro Chancellor, Subharti
University, Meerut-250005.
Content Reviewer Dr. Sunil Kumar
Patnaik
Director (Research), Odishan
Institute of Maritime and
South East Asian Studies,
Government of Odisha,
Bhubaneswar
Component-I (B)-Description of Module
Course Name Buddhist Tourism
Module Name/ Title Bodhgayā
Module Id Module no. 4
Prerequisites Broad Understanding of Buddhism
Objectives ✓ To acquaint the students with Buddhist
pilgrimage in India
✓ To give a brief archaeological, historical and
tourist importance of Bodhgayā
Keywords Bodhgayā, Mahābodhi Temple, Mahābodhi Tree,
Vajrāsana.
Component-II: Text of the Module:
Bodhgayā
Bodhgayā (also known as Buddha Gayā) is the place where, at the age of thirty-five,
Siddhārtha Gautama attained Bodhi (Enlightenment) under a pīpal tree that became
known as the Mahābodhi Tree. For the Buddhists, Bodhgayā is the most important

2. and the holiest of all the pilgrimage sites related to the life of the Śākyamuni Gautama
Buddha who is popularly known as the Buddha. The history of Bodhgayā is
documented by many inscriptions datable from the third century BCE and pilgrimage
accounts primarily by the Chinese pilgrims Faxian (fifth century CE) and Xuanzang
(seventh century CE) and the Tibetan pilgrim Dharmasvāmin (thirteenth century CE).
The original name of this place was Uruvelā (Sanskrit: Uruvilvā) and after the
Buddha’s Enlightenment here, it became known variously as Sambodhi i.e., Full
Enlightenment, Vajrāsana i.e., the Diamond Throne or simply the Mahābodhi i.e., the
Great Enlightenment. This place was rechristened as Bodh Gayā by the Victorian
Indologists when in the eighteenth century they began depicting this place as the
opposite and counterpart to Brahma-Gayā or “Hindu” Gayā.
When, after leaving home at the age of twenty-nine, Siddhārtha Gautama
arrived in the region known as the Gayā Dharmakṣetra or the Gayā-tīrtha, this region,
with the Viṣṇupāda Temple at its centre, contained three important settlements viz.
Gayā, Uruvelā, and Senānigama at the Buddha’s time. The Gayā Māhātmya, a section
of the Vāyu Purāṇa, lists as many as 324 sacred sites in the Gayā Dharmakṣetra that
are connected to ancestral rites. The Gayā Dharmakṣetra, covering a radius of about
2½ krośa (between eight and ten kilometres), includes the pīpal tree in the south which
is to be worshipped on the fourth day of the piṇḍadāna rituals and which after the
Buddha attained enlightenment at its root became known as the Mahābodhi Tree.
There is evidence that indicates that this pīpal tree, in fact, was being worshipped in
the pre-Buddhist period by the local population as some sort of a caityavṛkṣa (tree-
shrine) or vanacetiya (forest-shrine). The earliest settlement located in the immediate
vicinity of the would-be Mahābodhi Tree was the gāmanigama (village-township) of
Uruvelā (now identified with Tārāḍīh). Sujātā, who has been immortalized in
Buddhism for having offered milk-rice (gavapāna) to Siddhārtha Gautama, came
from Senānigama (identified with Bakraur). Located in the forest thicket on either
side of river Nerañjarā (Nilānjanā, Līlājan, Phalgu), the would-be Buddha found the
neighbourhood of these two settlements as quite congenial for severe ascetical
practices and stayed here till the attainment of Enlightenment. The Gayā-tīrtha was a
pre-eminent pilgrimage centre for ancestor worship much before the would-be
Buddha arrived in this region. Frederick Asher has suggested that in all probability
“the Buddha came to the outskirts of Gayā specifically because it was the place where
pilgrims sought an escape from the fetters of death– albeit on behalf of deceased
relatives rather than themselves.”
It was in the Gayā Dharmakṣetra that the Buddha realized the futility of severe
penances and mortification. His encounter with Tebhātika-Jaṭilas, the proto-Śaivite
fire worshippers, of this region and their conversion is another important event. Here,
the Buddha is also said to have defeated Māra comprehensively. It was also at Uruvelā
that the Buddha had reservations in his own mind about the efficacy of preaching the
Dharma when the Brahmā Sahampati pleaded with him not to succumb to such
hesitancy. Sahampati also advised the Buddha later that he did not need a teacher. It

3. seems that during the forty-five years of ministry and for a while after the Nirvāṇa of
the Buddha, the Buddhist was not very active in the Gayā Dharmakṣetra. This could
have been due to a variety of reasons such as this region being rural whereas
Buddhism was more flourished in urban centres and elitist Buddhism as well as anti-
Buddha dissidents under Devadatta being quite active here. Thus, one is not surprised
that during his ministry, the Buddha is known to have visited the Gayā Dharmakṣetra
no more than twice.
The Mahābodhi Tree
The sacred pīpal, at whose foot the Buddha had attained Enlightenment, is generally
known as the Mahābodhi Tree to distinguish it from the other Bodhi trees. Though
quite a few other Bodhi trees appear to be older than the present Mahābodhi Tree, this
pīpal is considered the most sacred amongst all the Bodhi trees for the reason that the
Diamond Throne is located at its foot which the Buddhists believe to be the exact spot
of Enlightenment. The Buddhists believe that the site of the Mahābodhi Tree forms
the navel of the earth (pṛthvīnābhi). During the lifetime of the Buddha himself, the
Mahābodhi Tree came to represent him and was used as a shrine (caitya).
Emperor Aśoka visited the Mahābodhi Tree during the tenth year of his reign
as part of his Dharma pilgrimage and either built a caitya here or most probably
replenished the already existing caitya. Some Buddhist texts mention that Aśoka’s
queen Tiṣyarakṣitā and later on king Śaśāṅka had completely destroyed this tree.
There is also at least one recorded incident when it fell down due to a storm in the
year 1876 and Alexander Cunningham planted its sapling some distance away from
the original spot “to protect the temple from being harmed” and another one some 80
feet away to the north for “Hindu worshippers.” On the basis of the report of the FRI,
the Temple Management Committee has implemented a number of precautions over
the years to ensure that the tree stays in good health. Also, as a backup, an offspring
of the Mahābodhi Tree was planted in 2010 that “can take over” should the need arise
in the future.
The Mahābodhi Temple Complex
The present-day Mahābodhi Temple Complex of Bodh Gayā is located at a distance
of about six kilometres from Gayā Airport at 24°41′43″N and 84°59′38″E. It covers a
total area of twelve acres of land, out of which the Mahābodhi Temple area covers
about five and a half acres. The complex has primarily evolved around the different
spots associated with various events leading to the Buddha’s Enlightenment and a
few months thereafter and consists of the Mahābodhi Tree, the Mahābodhi Temple,
the Vajrāsana (Throne), the Ajapāla-Nigrodha (Goatherd’s Banyan), the Mucalinda
Pond, Rājāyatana Tree, the Animeṣalocana Stūpa (i.e., the Unblinking Stūpa or the
Fixed-Gaze Stūpa), the Ratna Ghara (or the Jewel Chamber), and the Ratna
Caṅkrama (the Jewel Walk). Except for the Rājāyatana tree and the Goatherd’s shrine,
all these sites are identified by the Buddhists these days.

4. Archaeological excavations conducted in the precincts of the Mahābodhi
Temple between the years 1974 and 1984 by the Archaeological Survey of India were
limited to the exposure of the visible ruins directly around the temple. Nothing from
the period of the Buddha till the Mauryas was found here. The three superimposed
slabs in the shrine are most probably the oldest relics in Bodhgayā. The well-known
stone Vajrāsana, found by Cunningham at the foot of the Mahābodhi Tree is also quite
old. The sandstone slab due to its Mauryan polish and decorative designs is assigned
to Aśoka. The stone seat located under the Mahābodhi Tree, as well as the
quadrangular stone railing, which enclosed the area around the Mahābodhi Tree and
now surviving only in fragments, are generally dated to the first century BCE. The
caṅkrama, the promenade of the Buddha, is also of quite an old date in its earliest
layer.
The Mahābodhi Temple Complex also includes the Pañca Pāṇḍava Temple, a
Śaivite Temple-complex, the sepulchre (samādhi) of a mahaṅt, and a large number of
ancient votive stūpas and shrines. All these are quite well-maintained and shielded by
the inner, middle and outer boundaries of the Complex. Till the mid-1980s, the
absence of railings allowed visitors unobstructed access to the Vajrāsana and the
Mahābodhi Tree. However, now these two are enclosed by double and triple railings,
over which the branches of the Mahābodhi Tree extend widely.
The earliest accounts mention that the Buddha spent five weeks under and near
the Mahābodhi Tree following the attainment of Enlightenment. However, as the
sacred story developed around the site of Enlightenment, the symbiotic relationship
between the site and the story gave birth to the master narrative spread over a period
of seven weeks.
The Mahābodhi Temple is surrounded on all four sides by stone railings,
about two metres high. The railings reveal two distinct types, both in style as well
as the materials used. The older ones, made of smooth sandstone, date to about the
first century BCE and the others, constructed from unpolished coarse granite, are
believed to be of the Gupta period (c. 319-570 CE). The older railings have scenes
such as Lakṣmī being bathed by elephants, and Sūrya riding a chariot drawn by four
horses. The newer railings have figures of stūpas (reliquary shrines) and garuḍas
(mythical eagles). One of the Gupta railing pillars, located at the western entranceway,
shows on its southern face a dvārapāla holding a triśūla. Images of lotus flowers also
appear commonly. The stone railing was later rearranged and further enlarged to
enclose the Temple by King Pūrṇavarmā at the beginning of the seventh century,
while a gateway was constructed somewhat later in the eighth century. The old stone
railing had as many as sixty-four pillars of which only seven are now standing in situ
the rest having been either lost or removed to the Archaeological Survey of India’s
Museum of Bodhgayā and replaced by cement casts of the originals. The majority of
the crossbars of the railing have lotus medallions with human heads or animals in their
centres.

5. Emperor Aśoka is generally credited with constructing the first open-air shrine
(bodhighara) with a railing under the Mahābodhi Tree which appears to have been
further expanded and renovated during the reign of Kuṣāṇa king Huviṣka (c.150-180
CE) or perhaps a little later. The most dramatic change appears to have taken place
sometime after the visit of Faxian during the Gupta period (c. 319-570 CE) when a
large and tall tower-like brick structure appears to have been built by encompassing
most of the bodhighara with an image of the Buddha of a proportionate size placed
inside the sanctum. With the grant of extraterritorial rights by King Samudragupta to
the Sri Lankans for the construction of the Mahāvihāra Saṃghārāma (Monastery) in
the close vicinity of the Mahābodhi Temple, the Sri Lankan monks appear to have
taken control of the entire complex. There is a great possibility that in their enthusiasm
as the extraterritorial masters of the complex, the Sri Lankans may have actually built
the towered brick Temple. However, if Xuanzang’s testimony is to be believed then
not only that the Mahābodhi Temple was constructed by a brāhmaṇa devotee by
enlarging the small shrine built by Aśoka, but also the large Buddha image in
bhūmisparśa-mudrā was constructed by another brāhmaṇa. Despite efforts by kings
like Śaśāṅka and the Sri Lankan monks, the site of the Mahābodhi Temple remained
multivalent. A Sri Lankan monk called Prakhyātakīrti made some repairs to the
Mahābodhi Temple in the seventh century. Thereafter towards the beginning of the
eleventh century, some minor repairs are reported to have been undertaken by
Mahipāla I of Pāla Dynasty. King Aśokaballa of Sapadalakṣa was the last Indian king
to carry out several repairs in the year 1157 CE. Some repair work was done in the
last quarter of the thirteenth century, especially the Burmese “significantly altering
the original design” of the Mahābodhi Temple. Thereafter the Mahābodhi Temple
became derelict for about three centuries till a Śaivite saṅnyasin started living here.
Dharmasvāmin has pointed out that when he visited the Mahābodhi Temple in
c. 1234 CE, it was under considerable Ceylonese influence; none but Sri Lankan
monks could carry out the worship of the Buddha or sleep in the courtyard of the
temple. However, referring to the overall multivalent nature of the places of worship,
the Tibetan pilgrim Dharmasvāmin says that “[t]he procedure of the image worship
in Buddhist temples of Bihar and Nepāla was at this time very similar to that in Hindu
shrines. The Pañchāmṛta-snāna or the bath in curds, milk, honey, sugar and ghee had
become quite common in the Buddhist temples.” Hindus, says Dharmasvāmin, gave
alms to Buddhist monks; one of the main supporters of Rāhula-śrī-Bhadra, the last
abbot of Nālandā, was a Brāhmaṇa lay disciple at Odantapurī, named Jayadeva. The
Gayā Māhātmya which is the concluding portion of the Vāyu Purāṇa and was
composed around the time when the international pilgrimage to the Mahābodhi
Temple almost came to a halt, further cemented the multivalent character of the
Mahābodhi Temple when the brāhmaṇas of Gayā began to officiate as priests at the
worship of the Buddha-Dharmeśvara at Bodh Gayā which formed part of the
Gayākṣetra.

6. Though Sri Lankan pilgrims appear to have begun to visit the Mahābodhi
shortly after Aśoka’s son Mahendra and daughter Saṅghamitrā went to proselytize
there, international pilgrimage became an established phenomenon by the latter half
of the fourth century when the Indian King Samudragupta allowed Sri Lankans to
build a saṅghārāma near the Mahābodhi Tree. From then onwards, a large number of
the important Buddhist structures in the Mahābodhi Temple Complex are attributed
to Sri Lankan patrons. At times the control of Sri Lankan monks over the Mahābodhi
Temple and its ecclesiastical affairs appears to have been strong enough that none but
they could carry out the worship of the Buddha or sleep in the courtyard of the temple.
The hegemony of the Sri Lankan monks continued till Turuṣka’s attacks when the
Temple became derelict towards the beginning of the fourteenth century. About four
centuries later, Śaivite Giri Mahants took up permanent residence here. The practice
of derelict Indic sites with a sacred background being reused by other Indic faiths was
not uncommon during the ancient and medieval periods. Moreover, multiple
affiliations were quite normal rather than exceptional among the various Indic faiths.
With the passage of time, the mahants became the owners not only of the land on
which the Mahābodhi Temple stands but also the large estate surrounding it through
many royal decrees of the Mughal emperors and their feudatories.
When after securing permission from the mahanta through the British
Government, the Burmese started their repair work in January 1876, it was found that
the “Burmese workers were making a mess of the old temple.” This gave a good
excuse to the government which took on the ‘responsibility’ of the restoration work
thus becoming a stakeholder in the sacred space. During the time of restoration,
demolition, and reconstruction during the 1880s, Hindus and Buddhists continued to
share the sacred space occupied by the Mahābodhi Temple without any issue.
However, some mischievous British Indologists intensified their efforts to drive a
wedge between the Hindus and the Buddhists. The campaign of Anagārika
Dharmapāla for the sole management of the Temple by Buddhists continued until after
India’s independence when the Bodh Gaya Temple Act, 1949 was passed on 19 June
1949 and the government of Bihar assumed responsibility for the management of the
temple. Acceding to India’s request, UNESCO declared the Mahābodhi Temple
Complex on 27 June 2002 as the eighteenth Indian cultural site to be awarded the
UNESCO World Heritage Monument. The Bodh Gaya Temple (Amendment) Act 2013
allowed the Gaya District Magistrate to be the Chairman of the Temple Management
Committee, irrespective of her/his religious affiliation. Though people of all Indic
faiths are still free to pray and worship at the Mahābodhi Temple, they do so as if it
were now only a Buddhist shrine.
The Great Buddha
The 64-foot Great Buddha statue in dhyāna mudrā (meditation pose) is another
popular spot in Bodhgayā. The statue is made of a combination of sandstone and red
granite blocks. It is surrounded by smaller sculptures of Buddha’s ten principal
disciples. It was consecrated on 18 November 1989 by the Fourteenth Dalai Lama.

7. The Bodhgayā Archaeological Museum
The Bodhgayā Archaeological Museum is situated close to the Mahābodhi Temple
Complex. It houses many rare antiques consisting of statues of the Buddha as well as
different Buddhist and Hindu deities.
Buddhist Temples of Different Countries
As a consequence of the request by the Sri Lankan king Sirimeghavanna (r. 352-379
CE), the Indian King Samudragupta (r. 335-380 CE) allocated a piece of land to the
Sri Lankans with extraterritorial rights and a monastic rest-house (saṅghārāma) was
constructed towards the north of the Mahābodhi Tree. During the nineteenth century,
the Burmese were allowed to build a monastery near the Mahābodhi Temple. After
India’s independence in 1947, different countries including Sri Lanka, Myanmar,
Thailand, Cambodia, Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam, Bhutan, Tibet, Laos, China, Mongolia,
Korea and Nepal were invited by the Government of India to build their temples and
rest-houses in the vicinity of the Mahābodhi Temple Complex.
Sujātā Stūpa
Across the river from the Mahābodhi Temple, is the Sujātā Stūpa located at Sujātāgarh
near the village of Bakraur situated about one kilometre from the Mahābodhi Temple
across the river Nilāṅjanā. Excavations by the Archaeological Survey of India there
in 1973-74 and again in 2001-06 uncovered a stūpa with a round, two-level, terraced
structure eleven meters high on a square east-west, north-south platform. The stūpa,
originally built in the second century BCE, has revealed traces of three phases of
additions and expansion from the Gupta to the Pāla period.
How to reach?
Gaya Junction is the nearest railway station at a distance of 13 km. All nearby major
cities are connected by road from where public and private transport can be availed.
Gaya Airport is located 17 km from the site.
Component-III: Bibliography
Ahir, D.C. 1994. Buddha Gaya through the Ages. Delhi: Sri Satguru Publications.
Barua, D.K. 1981. Buddha Gaya Temple: Its History. Buddha Gaya: Buddha Gaya
Temple Management Committee.
Leoshko, Janice, ed. 1988. Bodhgaya: The Site of Enlightenment. Bombay: Marg.
Sarao, K.T.S. 2020. The History of Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya. New York and
Dordrecht: Springer.
Component-IV: Additional Readings: (Books/Articles/Internet Links)
Barua, B.M. 1934. Gayā and Buddha-Gayā (Early History of the Holy Land). Revised
Edition. Calcutta: Satis Chandra Seal.

8. Cunningham, Alexander. 1892. Mahābodhi or the Great Buddhist Temple under the
Bodhi Tree at Buddha-Gaya. London: W.H. Allen & Co.
Dhammika, S. 1996. Navel of the Earth: The History and Significance of Bodh Gayā.
Singapore: Buddha Dhamma Mandala Society.
Joshi, Nikhil, 2019. The Mahābodhi Temple at Bodhgayā: Constructing Sacred
Placeness, Deconstructing the ‘Great Case’ of 1895. New Delhi: Manohar.
Myer, Prudence R. 1958. “The Great Temple at Bodh-Gayā,” The Art Bulletin 40 (4):
277-298.
Singh, Arvind Kumar, 2017. “Bodhagayā,” In Encyclopedia of Indian Religions:
Buddhism and Jainism, vol. I, edited by K.T.S. Sarao and Jeffery D. Long,
241-246, Dordrecht: Springer.