This time I am heading to the most sacred Buddhist pilgrimage center in the world – Bodh Gaya. Lord Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, is said to have achieved spiritual enlightenment here some 2500 years ago, of all the four pilgrimage places for Buddhists in world, i.e. Bodhgaya, Kushinagar, Lumbini and Sarnath; the most sacred and important is Bodhgaya. Mahabodhi Temple, located in Bodh Gaya, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002.
It is a nice weekend trip for the people of Bihar and West Bengal where you not only experience a Buddhist pilgrimage center, also learn some mind-blowing facts about Indian history. When I visited the place, it felt like I am experiencing mini Asia in Bihar. Several Buddhist temples and monasteries have been built by the people of Bhutan, China, Japan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sikkim, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Tibet and Vietnam in a wide area around the Mahabodhi Temple. These buildings reflect the architectural style, exterior and interior decoration of their respective countries.
I took Howrah Mumbai Mail on 18th March, 2017 which departs at 10 PM and reached Gaya at 5:30 AM in the next morning. If you have whole day, then you can cover Bodh Gaya in one day only. Other than the Buddhist sites, the state is not a major tourism destination. Buddhism as a religion was born and developed in Bihar through Lord Buddha, formerly Prince Siddharth of the Sakya kingdom (in Nepal) in the foothills of the Himalayas. “Bihar” derived its name from “Vihar” meaning monasteries which it had in abundance. Centuries after Buddha’s passing away, the Indian Emperor Ashoka (304-232 BC), whose kingdom extended from Afghanistan to Burma (now Myanmar) and who later renounced war and converted to Buddhism, contributed immensely towards the growth and spread of Buddhism. He built numerous temples and monasteries in the Indian sub-continent, many of which still exists, inviting pilgrims from all over the world.
I left hotel at 9 AM and my first destination was the great Mahabodhi Temple, which is 15 Km away from the town Gaya. At the entrance of the temple premises, there’s a cloak room, shoe stand and locker service for mobile phones. Cameras are allowed inside with a fee: 100 rupees for hand camera and 300 rupees for video cameras. The Buddha spent the succeeding seven weeks at seven different spots in the vicinity meditating and considering his experience. Several specific places at the current Mahabodhi Temple relate to the traditions surrounding these seven weeks. The Bodhi tree at Bodhgaya is directly connected to the life of the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, who attained enlightenment or perfect insight when he was meditating under it. The temple was built directly to the east of the Bodhi tree, supposedly a direct descendant of the original Bodhi Tree. Mahabodhi Temple is constructed of brick and is one of the oldest brick structures to have survived in eastern India. It is considered to be a fine example of Indian brickwork and was highly influential in the development of later architectural traditions. According to UNESCO, "the present temple is one of the earliest and most imposing structures built entirely in brick from Gupta period.
After the Mahabodhi Temple, it was time to go international temple-hopping to discover different Asian Buddhist cultures and their temple architecture. The Chinese temple is the nearest one down the road. Its entrance stands a pair of lion sculptures guarding the temple. Located in proximity to Mahabodhi Temple, Chinese Temple and Monastery is a stunning piece of architecture built by Chinese monks in collaboration with the government of China in 1945. The temple boasts three beautiful golden statues of Lord Buddha that are primary attractions of this place. Buddha Jayanti, one of the most important festivals of Buddhists, is celebrated here every year to commemorate the birth of Lord Buddha. Thousands of monks and followers of Buddha from across the globe come here to partake in the holy celebration. During this time, people remember Lord Buddha’s journey and his contribution to human lives.
Next to the Chinese temple there is the Tenzing Tibetan Temple, it has a large stupa on one side of the temple. The Indosan Nippon Japanese Temple is further down the road. This simple but lovely Zen temple has a free school for local kids. The garden is well-maintained. At one corner there’s a giant bell which is sounded three times a day to call people for Zen meditation. Built in the year 1972 with the help of international Buddhist communities, Indosan Nippon Japanese Temple is beautifully carved out of wood and looks very much like a Japanese shrine. It is a fine example of both Japanese architecture and Buddhist culture.The temple was built to preserve and propagate Buddhism and the beliefs of Lord Buddha, and its walls have inscriptions of the teachings of Buddha. The gallery of the temple houses Japanese paintings that depict important events of Buddha's life. It is a must-visit place for all those who wish to learn more about Buddhist culture.
I started out for the next temple further down the road. It’s the Tibetan Karma Temple; Next to it is the second Japanese temple – the Daijokyo Buddhist Temple. The Tibetan temple near Vietnam temple has got a large wooden prayer wheel and the book stall has got a decent collection of books based on Buddhism and Dalai Lama.
The Shakado, established in 1983, is the main building of Daijokyo Buddhist Temple. The Main Hall on the first floor enshrines the principal images of Daijokyo: The Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha, Visistacaritra, Anantacaritra, Visuddhacaritra and Supratisthitacaritra. The three-story pagoda atop the rooftop contains Reliquary Hall (third floor) which enshrines holy relics of Buddha, and Founder's Hall (second floor), which houses a bronze bust of the Most Rev. Tatsuko Sugiyama, the founder of Daijokyo.
Walking down the road, I reach the beautiful Wat Thai temple built by the King of Thailand in the 1950s. Though to a lesser extent, the grandeur of the temples back in parent country. There are 2 Thai temples in Bodh Gaya. Wat Thai Bodhgaya is strikingly similar to the temples of Bangkok and is richly gilt and highly ornamental. Metta Buddharam Temple is splendidly whitetail and silvery. There is a life size statue of Emperor Ashoka wearing robes in this temple but the statue looks more similar to a Greek god rather than that of the person who propagated Buddhism in Indian subcontinent.
On the end of the road after Daijokyo Buddhist Temple, there is the giant Buddha statue. A wide tree-lined path leads to this stunning 80-feet stone statue of Buddha, commissioned, and made by Japanese Buddhists. It was consecrated by the Dalai Lama in 1989. The artistry and craftsmanship of the sculpture is very impressive. Under the slogan "Spread Buddha's rays to the Whole World," Daijokyo spent seven years on construction of the Great Buddha Statue, mobilizing 120,000 masons in total. The greatest driving force for this massive project was the pure heart of people, who wish for further expansion of Buddhism from the holy place Bodhgaya, as well as for the realization of world peace.
It was 6 PM in the evening and I had covered all the places, so I thought of returning back to my hotel to spend a lazy evening and had delicious litti (Bihari bread) with jam and peanut butter. I dozed off early as I had to catch a train early morning to my next destination - Varanasi.
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